Dusk
by thunderful
Summary: Bella is a regenerating mutant with a skeleton and claws of Adamantium  Wolverine .  She had met vampires in the past and knows what they are.  What happens when she moves to Forks and Meets Edward?
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so i was toying with the idea of Bella having Wolverine's powers ever since i saw the movie (almost 2 yrs ago), before i started writing SOP, but at the time SOP had a more developed plot and came together better, so i filed this one away and added to the plot line every now and then. Since then i have found and read a couple of other Wolverine Bella stories, though their plots are completely different.

As always, it is a Bella/Edward story, but while Bella is a regenerating mutant with an adamantium skeleton, much of her history is different from Logan's in the movie and comic series.

So here it is:

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**Chapter 1**

I rode past an old, rusting sign, it's peeling white letters welcoming me to the small town of Forks, Washington, one of the rainiest places in USA. It was here that I intended to make my new home for the next few years. If I started out in high school as an emancipated orphaned teenager, I could probably stretch out my time, before I had to leave, as far as a decade before anyone noticed that I hadn't been ageing.

In many ways it was a curse to have a body filled with regenerating cells, and a skeleton coated with adamantium - a metal so strong that my retracting claws could cut through the hardest things like butter. I was over a hundred years old, and while at one time I had been happy with my sister, Alice, with her gone I found I had nothing left to live for, yet I couldn't kill myself thanks to a promise I had made to her which I intended to keep. My sister Alice had been a vampire - not the normal red-eyed human drinking ones though, she had drunk from animals, or from me, since I regenerated blood faster than she had been able to drink it.

She had been bright and happy - a little dynamo that I loved, despite her instance on dressing me in the latest fashions and dragging me on shopping trips. She had been my sun, and without her I was alone in a dark world. Still, as per my promise, I intended to keep living, and make an effort to be happy.

This was the reason why I was now in Forks, and had enrolled myself in school starting that very morning. I cruised past the sleeping town as the sun broke over the horizon, light diffusing through the clouded sky. My motorbike was a red 1963 Harley Davidson DuoGlide FLH - a birthday gift from Alice the year before she had died. On my back was a single large bag with a few changes of clothes, important documents and money. The rest of my belongings would be arriving in a couple of weeks.

I followed the road out of town before turning off into a dirt track. After navigating the few twists and turns through the forest I eventually came upon my new home. It had been a holiday retreat house for a Seattle CEO who had gotten divorced. Neither spouse had wanted the house, and I had managed to buy it for a reasonable price.

This was the first time I had seen it. I hopped off my bike and looked up at it, feeling quite satisfied with my purchase. The two storey home had many large bay windows overlooking the front garden, the centre of which had a large fountain and a paved footpath leading to the double front doors. I walked up and inserted the key I had picked up in Seattle last night. Once inside I started to explore. It wasn't huge, but I didn't need it to be. It had a four bay garage, downstairs had an open living room, dining area and kitchen, with a bedroom, bathroom and laundry. Upstairs held the master bedroom, a huge ensuite with a Jacuzzi, and an enormous walk-in wardrobe that Alice would have approved of. It took up nearly half the second floor by itself. The other half of the floor was another two rooms and a bathroom. All in all, I thought it had a great layout, and I loved the huge windows that allowed what little light Forks got to enter. The colour scheme, however, had to go. I was not a fan of hot pink, bright orange, and mint green walls, and I would not be sleeping in this house until they were gone.

The first thing on my 'to do' list now, was to find out where the nearest paint shop was and decide on some new colours. Once painted, I planned to choose new furniture to be delivered, since I only had clothes, important belongings and my other vehicles arriving - I had many houses over the world that I kept furnished in case I wished to visit.

I looked at the time and realised that I only had a couple of hours left before I had to be at the high school for my first day of school. It was something of a novelty to me - going to high school. Alice and I had intended to try it, but had never gotten around to it, and when I was born way back in 1898, most girls didn't get much of an education, unless they were intending to become teachers. I'll admit I was a little curious about it. It was times like these when I most acutely felt the loss of Alice - if she had been here she would have been bouncing with eagerness and pushing me into the prefect 'first day at a new school' outfit. Alas, by myself I could only do my best.

I brought my bag inside and left it in the living area, changing out of the clothes I had travelled in. Although I doubted Alice would have approved, I put on some simple jeans, a t-shirt, leather bike riding boots and my red leather jacket. I shrugged, and locked the house before straddling my bike again.

I stopped in at the diner for breakfast, shovelling down their full cooked breakfast - steak, eggs, sausages, tomatoes, bacon and toast. Being regenerative meant that I had a fast metabolism and needed a lot of food, although I could starve myself for weeks without a negative effect. I grinned a little as I saw some of the other patrons gape at me out of the corner of their eye. No doubt it looked odd to them to see a petite 5 foot 3 inch slender girl pack away such a huge meal.

Finally it was time to go to school. It was still early and I was the first in the parking lot, leaving my motorbike in a spot on the far side of the lot, away from the buildings, in the hope that people wouldn't notice and swarm around it. I hated it when they left their greasy fingerprints all over my baby. With all the rain this place seemed to get, I hoped it would hold off until my cars arrived, because I didn't want to have to leave my bike sitting in the rain for the next week. I hadn't really thought through the logistics of only having a bike in such a rainy town - I had just wanted to enjoy a little road trip on the way here.

Leaving the bike, I followed the signs to the office. Inside was a sickly looking palm tree that was out of place in a town like Forks, and a lady behind the desk eyeing me with undisguised interest. No doubt there had been gossip about town when they heard of the newly enrolled girl at school who was a rich emancipated minor. As the receptionist - Mrs Cope - gave me my schedule and a map, I realised that there would have been plenty of speculation, and I could only hope that people would see how uninteresting I am and leave me alone.

Unfortunately, my wish was unfulfilled, as I realised immediately after walking out of the office. Standing there was a boy with greasy black hair that looked like a chess club type. _Wonderful_. "Hi," he smiled brightly, "I'm Eric, you're the new girl Isabella aren't you?"

I nodded, hoping that my silence would scare him off. It didn't. "So I was thinking that I'd show you around, and take you to your first class - wouldn't want you to get lost on your first day." This boy just didn't know when to quit.

I gritted my teeth and squashed down the mental image of throwing him into a wall or skewering him with my claws. Thinking back on Alice, and how disappointed she would be with me for not bothering to try and make friends, I took a deep breath and gave Eric a thin smile. "Thanks, and it's Bella."

Luckily, that was all the talking I was required to do, and I followed along as he chattered away about his boring life and his friends, while leading me around the school and showing me where my classes were.

Eventually, we were back at the front of the school, near the car park, and there were far more people milling around. Nobody seemed to have spotted my bike over in the far corner, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Eric led me over to some friends of his, who I met quietly. There was a baby-faced blonde guy called Mike, a sour-faced blonde girl called Lauren, a bubbly brunette called Jessica and another, kinder looking brunette called Angela. Of all of them, only Angela looked like she might be a potential friend of any sort - if I could be bothered to make any friends here. It was a Tuesday, and the first day of school for the new term, so at least that took a little of the notice off me. Everyone was interested in catching up with each other, and finding out what their friends had done on their holidays.

I managed to get through my first lessons of the day with ease. Despite never having gone to school – I was too sick to attend when I was a child, and after that I never really wanted to, I found that I knew most of what they were teaching. There was enough that I didn't know to keep me interested, which was lucky, otherwise I might not have been so willing to put up with the pointless chatter of most of my classmates.

When lunch came around, Jessica, who had been in my last class, took me over to her friends, talking incessantly and failing to notice that I wasn't actually listening. I sat down with them, grimacing a bit over the cafeteria food as I let them talk a little around me. My eyes scanned the cafeteria absentmindedly, before I saw something that made me stop. I blinked and looked again in disbelief. There at a far table was a single vampire - a very handsome vampire, if truth be told. With my enhanced eyesight, I spotted his eyes as he turned to look curiously at me. They were bright gold - a colour I hadn't seen since I lost my sister Alice, many years ago. Before I had time to wonder much about why he was in the middle of a school full of humans, and how he had come to drink animal blood, Jessica piped up beside me, "I see you've seen Edward."

I turned and cocked a questioning eyebrow. She nodded at the vampire. "That's Edward Cullen. He has a few siblings that go here as well, and they all kind of keep to themselves. They moved here from Alaska two years ago." Here she lowered her voice, proceeding to give me the juiciest gossip. "They're all foster kids that Doctor Cullen and his wide adopted, and all of them are like together except Edward. There's twins, Jasper and Rosalie Hale, who are Mrs Cullen's real niece and nephew, while the others were all just adopted. Jasper is with Alice Cullen, while Rosalie is with Emmett Cullen. All of them are like supermodels or something, I mean, they all look like so pretty. It can't be natural." I chuckled a little. It was pretty hard to miss the supernatural beauty of a vampire.

"Where's the rest of them, then?" I asked.

"Well, the other four are all visiting foreign countries - their parents managed to do that for them. They're lucky they're so rich, I mean, my parents would like, never send me, overseas. Edward's the only one who stayed behind. They are meant to be back in two weeks."

I nodded thoughtfully. I felt sorry for this Edward. It seemed he was the only vampire in his coven without a mate, if what Jessica said was true. I knew he must be feeling lonely. I hopped up, shocking the others at my table. "What are you doing?" Jessica asked.

"I'm going to sit with Edward, I bet he's really lonely with all his siblings gone," I explained. They looked shocked, but I ignored then, picking up my bag and heading over to meet the vampire. He was bound to be more interesting than these shallow humans.

He had turned to stare at me, surprise written all over his face. It seemed he had heard me, and could not quite believe that I was really coming to sit with him. I could read the incredulity and frustration on his face as I approached. No doubt he was unable to understand why a seemingly human girl would voluntarily come and sit next to a vampire - a creature that sent out vibes so that humans instinctively knew to stay away.

I smiled, trying to appear friendly as I stopped in front of him, holding out a hand for him to shake. "Hello, I'm Bella. Can I sit here?"

"Hello Bella, I'm Edward. You are welcome to sit here." He shook himself out of his dumbfounded stupor and took my hand. His politeness seemed innate, because it had been obvious in his expression when I approached, that he was trying to get me to turn around and leave him alone.

As our hands connected and our eyes locked I felt warmth suffuse through me. It felt like a living flame was racing through my veins, but it did not hurt. Instead it was reassuring, comforting. I drew in a gasp. When Alice and I had first met other vampires, they had informed us of the rules regarding their kind, as well as unique vampire characteristics. One of them had been the mating bond.

The mating bond was supposed to be primarily between two vampires, where they would touch and know instantly that that was their mate - their other half. The warmth was the two being bound together for eternity, for then one could not live without the other. It was a serious offense to kill one's mate knowingly, for it would send the vampire into a fury. They would seek revenge for their fallen mate, and once that was achieved, they would throw themselves into a flame or find a way to die, for one could not truly live without their other half. According to the vampires we met, rarely, a vampire would mate with a human, though the human would have to be turned almost immediately after, for the strength of the bonding process would weaken them and they would die if not turned. I, however, was different. As an immortal mutant, I had no doubt that I could handle the strength of the mating bond, but I was shocked that I could even mate with a vampire. I knew I could not turn into a vampire, which I'd always assumed was necessary to mate with one. My cells rejected any venom that got into my system, throwing it out of my body. I had thought you had to either be a vampire, or be able to become a vampire, in order to bond.

How wrong I was. I stared down into Edward's mesmerising golden eyes as the truth dawned on me. All the times I had lamented being alone were coming back to bite me, for I would never be alone again. Edward Cullen was now bound to me for eternity, and I was bound to him. He looked just as shocked as I was, though there was also worry and concern in his eyes. Since he thought I was human, he was probably worrying about how I would need to be changed soon, for if a vampire did not change their mate after the bonding, the human would die within a month, and the vampire would be doomed to live a half-life, eventually seeking out their own death. From all reports though, that had only happened a couple of times in the entire history of vampires. I gulped. I knew that very soon I was going to have to let this stranger in on my secret, for he was now my mate. I could only hope that the mating bond would overpower his repulsion when he found out what I was. Even now, with the bond still newly formed, it pained me to think that he might possibly turn away from me when he found out what I was.

Seeing he was still staring at me in wonderment, I slowly sat down beside him, not releasing his hand. I cleared my throat nervously. "So, ah, I hear your siblings are overseas. What countries are they visiting?"

"They spent a few weeks in Egypt and are now in Paris for until they come home." His voice was like velvet- warm and comforting, drawing me in with its softness.

"That sounds nice, are they enjoying it?" I needed to keep him talking so I could listen to his entrancing voice.

"Yes, I talked to them a few days ago, and they are having a great time." He smiled fondly as he talked of his siblings.

"Why didn't you go with them?" I asked, curious.

"They are paired up, and I didn't want to feel like a third or fifth wheel, so I stayed here," he sighed. "I am not the best companion to take on trips anyway, and I didn't want to ruin their fun."

"I'm not sure whether it would be better to be surrounded by couples and feel like the odd one out, or to be totally alone like me," I mused sadly. "Either way, it seems like we're a pretty pitiful pair."

He sighed, and his golden orbs burned into mine, as if he was trying to read my mind. "You're truly all alone?" he asked.

"Yes, my parents and sister died a long time ago," I explained, wincing as I thought back through the decades that I had had no one. I knew he would have heard the gossip travelling about me being an emancipated minor – everyone in the school appeared to know.

"I am sorry for your loss," he said with genuine sympathy. "My own parents died a while ago too, but I am extraordinary lucky to have Carlisle and Esme- they are the best parents' one could ask for. I cannot fathom how I would feel to be alone, you must be very strong Bella," he observed.

I shrugged, "I get by, some days are harder than others," I admitted.

He frowned at that and began rubbing soothing circles on my hand. "Well I hope things start looking up for you," I could see the determination behind that statement.

"Well so far, my move to Forks has come with some unforseen benefits," I allowed as I stared at his handsome face. While I had been shocked when our bond first formed, now that we were connected I was having trouble seeing Edward as anything but a wonderful gift. Already I felt the urge to find out everything I could about him. My only niggling worry was that he might not accept me when he found out I was a mutant who could never be a vampire like him. I was sure he must have been hoping for a vampire mate, or at least expecting one eventually.

"I'm glad. What are you intending to do this year in Forks? Do you plan to join any clubs or have a favourite activity?" he asked.

"No, I hadn't really thought that far ahead," I said sheepishly. "I just wanted a fresh start, away from all my memories. What do you do for fun in Forks?"

"Well my family and I like camping," he explained. "There isn't much else to do, though my sisters do love to shop," he laughed fondly and I winced. My sister had liked shopping too.

I quickly banished that thought. "Well camping sounds fun, but I can't say I'm a big fan of shopping."

"Me neither," he allowed with a smile. "I also play piano and listen to a lot of music- that takes up most of my time when the rest of the household is doing couple things," he explained.

I smiled in understanding. "Well it seems we do have something in common, because I love music. Although, I can't play any instruments," I admitted.

"Really?" his smile became enthusiastic. "What kind of music do you listen to?" This started us off on a huge discussion of our musical preferences, and we found that we shared many favourite artists. Music had been one of my constant interests over the last century, and as a result I knew a lot about bands that most people had never heard of. However, Edward proved to be just as big a music buff as I was.

I found myself in an animated discussion over the best forties music, and both of us were very disappointed when the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch. I watched as his face fell like mine. I reluctantly extracted my hand from his warm grasp and stood up. I immediately wanted to grab his hand back, because mine suddenly felt empty. "Well it was nice talking to you Edward."

"It was my pleasure, Bella," he said earnestly as he too rose from the table. "May I walk you to your next class?" I was thrilled by his simple offer, and a light blush rose to my cheeks - something that had never happened to me before.

"Of course," I checked my schedule, "I have Biology with Mr Banner next," I informed him, watching as a happy smile slid over his face.

"So do I, in fact, I am the only person without a lab partner, so you will be sitting next to me." His pleased grin made my heart thump a little faster.

"Great," I smiled. My grin broadened as he casually took my hand and led me to class.

Once we were seated, we kept up a casual conversation when we could, which led to a debate on Debussy verses Tchaikovsky. Edward was of the erroneous opinion that, while both were great composers, Debussy was better. He was wrong. We walked out of the class still determined to change the other's view. I was surprised when Edward followed me into the gym. "You have this class too?"

"No," he shrugged, "but I speak Spanish more fluently than the teacher, so she won't mind if I skip. Besides, they won't make you play today, so I can keep you company." He gave me a charming grin and I melted, smiling as I followed him inside. I was surprised by how fast I was getting attached to him, and the emotions I was feeling. I had never felt this way before, and I knew it must have something to do with the mating bond.

I talked to the coach, who gave me a uniform for my next gym class, and then Edward took me over to the bleachers. We settled beside each other and immediately got back into our debate. I will admit that, on occasion, I was temporarily sidetracked while I admired how very handsome Edward looked when he was animated. His shining topaz eyes bored into mine with intensity and fiery determination. Naturally, I had to congratulate myself on finding such a gorgeous guy to bind myself to for eternity. But that didn't last for long, because I was determined to be right. After all, when one knows that this guy is 'the one' for the rest of eternity, you have to start on the ground rules immediately, and Edward needed to be left with a firm impression that I was always right.

Apparently though, Edward wasn't buying it. "Debussy was so great that they put him on a French bank note – the 20 franc, and his music is evocative and moving. Obviously you just need listen to it a bit more," he argued.

"Please Edward," I rolled my eyes, "Debussy was only on the cheapest banknote, and if you want evocative, moving music, then listen to Rachmaninoff, not Debussy. Tchaikovsky is clearly the better composer. His works are far more famous - and you want to know why? Because they are better! You can ask anyone in the street which is more familiar - Swan Lake or Arabesque, and they will all tell you Swan Lake," I argued. "You're just like those small-minded people back in the 1900's that dismissed his music." I remember when I first heard Tchaikovsky's music. It allowed me to dream - to think of happier things. I was annoyed that so many had thought his works were somehow lacking, though they changed their tune after a few decades.

It wasn't that I disliked Debussy, in fact, I quite liked his music too, but I favoured Tchaikovsky. Edward sighed, "Well I beg to differ Bella. I believe we shall simply have to agree to disagree." I nodded in resignation. It didn't look like I was going to win this argument, but I would settle for not losing it. The he started to look a little nervous. "I uh, was actually going to go to the Tchaikovsky concert that the Seattle Orchestra is playing this Sunday. Do you think you might like to go with me?" He looked absolutely adorable with such a hopeful look on his face.

My heart trilled with excitement. "Are you asking me on a date?" I wasn't sure whether I was hoping he would say yes, or if I should expect him to say no. Regardless of our mating bond, I had never been on a date, and the thought was both terrifying and thrilling at the same time.

"If I was, would you say no?" he looked adorably awkward and anxious.

"No, I'd still say yes. If it was a Debussy concert I might refuse, but I'd never refuse a Tchaikovsky one," I said mischievously, trying to lighten the mood.

He chuckled. "Then it's a date," he declared.

I couldn't help beaming. The very thought of a date with this handsome, wonderful, and luckily, immortal, guy was thrilling. I was filled with excitement. Life was looking up for me, and the decision to move to Forks was proving to be a great one.

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So what did you think?

I'm going to try and update every fortnight, or, if not, at least every month.

For those of you who are interested in finished Wolverine Bella stories, the two i have read are Wolverine by StephenKingReincarnated, and Silver X by Hexwitch


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you guys for the interest. I'm so glad you like my new story!

**Chapter 2**

We continued talking throughout gym, both of us eager to get to know everything about the other. It was not long before Edward admitted his love for fast cars. "I don't drive it to school, but I have an Aston Martin Vanquish," he revealed, "I love fast cars." His eyes glimmered with energy, and I was having a hard time keeping my traitorous heart under control when he looked so hot.

"I am more partial to my motorbikes," I said, watching as his expression turned to concern. I inwardly rolled my eyes. Although he didn't yet know it, it wasn't like I could actually get hurt. "But I do have a couple of cars being shipped. The car I drive is a Dodge Viper ACR-X." I watched in amusement as his eyes widened in shock. I could see I had both surprised and impressed him.

"Wow. That is a nice fast car." His eyes still held quite a lot of concern for my safety, but I could also tell that he desperately wanted to see my car.

"Yeah, I have a fair amount of money left by family, so I thought I might as well spoil myself," I explained. "There are two things in life one needs Edward - good music and fast rides."

He laughed and nodded. "Absolutely Bella, I couldn't agree more."

Gym class was soon over, and since Edward and I didn't have to get changed, we left early. Once again he took my hand as we walked, and the warm, familiar and comforting feelings washed over me.

We got outside and into the parking lot. I was pleased to see that, while it was still very cloudy, it had not rained, and my bike didn't appear to be any the worse for wear. "That's my Volvo," Edward pointed to a shiny silver car, the newest of the lot.

"Well my ride is the Harley Davidson DuoGlide FLH over there," I pointed it out proudly. I heard Edward's jaw clench, but I shrugged it off as we headed over to it.

"Well I should get going. I still have to explore the town a little and what not." I needed to find a hotel to stay in until I could redecorate the house on the weekend.

"Well maybe I could take you for a drive around Forks and up to Port Angeles this evening? Show you around and maybe we could get dinner together?" he offered hesitantly. He didn't eat normal food, so I was touched by his offer.

"I'd really like that," I said quietly. I had never been a shy or quiet person, but my situation with Edward was making me excited and nervous at the same time. There was a while jumble of new emotions that I was feeling, many of which I had yet to decipher.

"Great!" his blinding smile sent a thrill through me.

"I don't suppose you know where the closest hotel is do you? My stuff isn't arriving till next week, so all I have right now is an empty house and a duffel bag," I explained.

The worry was back in his eyes. "Ah, not really, but why don't you come over to my house. My mother is sure to know, and I bet she'd love to meet you," he offered.

I didn't really want to leave him yet, so I agreed. The bright, happy smile he gave me was more than enough reward for making the right choice.

I soon found myself on my bike, following after Edward in his Volvo. We quickly sped out of town, passing the entrance in the woods to my driveway, before turning off at the next one. I followed him down the long driveway until we reached a huge clearing where a three story house dominated the space. It was lovely.

I parked and hopped off as Edward jumped out of his car. "We're neighbours," I informed him with a smile.

"What do you mean?" he looked adorably confused.

"The driveway before yours is mine. I live about a mile that way," I pointed as I explained.

Far from being happy, as I had expected, he looked upset. "You mean you live out in the middle of the woods alone?" He ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Well, yeah. I've never been much of a people person. I prefer to have my own space," I said defensively.

"Bella, it's not safe. Anything could happen to you, and no one would know. When you told me you lived alone, I thought you at least had some close neighbours," his teeth were grinding and he looked really worried. But I was not about to indulge in his sudden overprotective tendencies. I had taken care of myself for over a century, and mating bond or no, I wasn't about to let him take over.

"Stop worrying Edward, I like it there, and nothing is going to happen," my voice was firm and he took the hint, dropping the subject with a resigned sigh.

"Would you like to come in?" he offered as he took my hand and gently led me into the house. The inside was just as impressive as the outside. The whole back wall of the house was glass, and the decor was light and open. Dominating one part of the room was a grand piano.

"Wow, this is beautiful," I commented.

"Thank you," a sweet and welcoming voice came around the corner. It was followed by a beautiful vampire, with soft caramel hair, and a welcoming smile.

"Bella, this is my mother, Esme," Edward introduced us as she came forward, eyes lighting up as she took in Edward's and my entwined hands. Beside me, I saw Edward give her a slight nod. I assumed he was confirming our mating bond, because Esme's whole face beamed with happiness. "Esme, this is Bella, she's a new student at school, and she didn't know where the closest hotel was to stay the night. I thought you might know," his voice held some implications that Esme obviously picked up on immediately.

"Oh, it is so nice to meet you Bella, Edward's never brought home a friend before," Esme gushed and my cheeks reddened. I had a feeling that this was going to become an annoying new trait of mine around Edward. "But you don't need to find a hotel - we would be more than happy for you to stay here. There are plenty of rooms." I couldn't help liking her; she was so sweet and motherly. Love just seemed to radiate from her.

"I wouldn't want to impose," I said, weighing up my options as I chewed my lip.

"Oh no, we would be delighted to have you dear," she assured me. I looked up at Edward's hopeful expression and made my decision.

"Well in that case, thank you. You are too kind," I said graciously.

"Oh you are more that welcome," Esme assured me. "Does your family need somewhere to stay as well?" she asked innocently. My face fell a little at the reminder of my solitary life.

"Bella is an orphaned emancipated minor Esme," Edward said gently. "She just brought the house a little way's up the road, but her things don't arrive until next week," he explained.

Esme's eyes were immediately filled with sympathy, but she seemed to know that I didn't need or want her pity. "Oh, well in that case, you are more than welcome here any time. We're neighbours after all."

"Thank you," I smiled at her. "If it's alright, I'll just go home and get my stuff."

"Of course, I'll make up a bed for you, and let Carlisle know that we'll have a guest," the sympathy in her eyes was now all but gone as she looked at the pair of us. She seemed to be bursting with joy. It made me wonder just how long Edward had been alone.

"You want to come?" I offered, wondering what Edward would think of a ride on my bike. He nodded enthusiastically. "Have you ever ridden on a bike before?" I asked as I mounted and waited for Edward to hop on behind me.

"No," he admitted. "One of my brothers, Jasper, likes them, and my sister Alice sometimes rides behind him, but the rest of us prefer our cars."

"Well hang on then," I kick started the bike and spun, taking off down the driveway. He held onto my waist, his body pressing up against mine. It warmed me all the way through. I loved having him so close, and I basked in the feelings of contentment and completion that washed over me as we rode.

Far too soon for my liking, we rounded the corner of my driveway and came upon my house. I stopped, and we got off. Again, I felt the loss of Edward when his body was no longer pressed against mine, but I figured that the faster I got my bag, the sooner I would get to ride with him again. He grinned crookedly at me, and with his hair delightfully mussed and his eyes bight from the ride, he had never looked more tempting. "What did you think?"

"I think I might have to buy myself a bike," he declared.

I grinned, "See? I knew you'd like it."

"That was definitely fun," he agreed.

I unlocked the front door and let us in, "Come on in." I showed him the somewhat barren house, with its horrible colours. "I'm going to paint everything before my stuff gets here," I explained. "There is no way I'm living in a house with green, hot pink, and burnt orange walls."

He chuckled. "I understand completely," he assured me.

"Speaking of which, when we go out tonight, could you show me which stores I can get paint and that sort of thing from?" I asked.

"Of course," he assured me.

"I'm also going to need to go into Seattle this weekend and pick out some furniture," I mused. "I want to decorate mostly from scratch."

"Well when we go up for the concert, we could make a day of it and pick out your furniture before the concert," he offered. "Most of the stores up there will deliver to Forks for an additional fee."

"Great," I smiled. It seemed everything was coming together for me in this small town. I grabbed my duffel bag, which Edward took from me. I let him. It had been a long time since anyone had treated me in such a gentlemanly manner.

We headed back to the Cullen's house, where Edward showed me a space in the garage for my bike, before he took me upstairs to a guest room. It was decorated in white, silver a splash of dark blue, and was very pretty, despite being so neat and tidy that it was obvious nobody had ever used it. "Wow, this is a beautiful room," I commented as Edward placed my duffel next to the bed.

"I'm glad you like it. Please make yourself at home here," he told me, with a serious look in his eyes.

"I will," I promised, eying the bed appreciatively. It looked pretty comfy. We headed back downstairs and found Esme in the living room. "Thank you again for letting me stay here Mrs Cullen," I said politely. "The room looks lovely."

"It's Esme, dear, and I'm glad you like it," she looked so happy that I couldn't help smiling at her. "Now what would you like for dinner Bella? As our guest I believe you should get to choose." I looked at her awkwardly. I didn't want to give myself away too soon, but I knew I'd feel really bad if I had to sit and watch them all shovel down food that would taste like dirt to them.

"Actually Esme, Bella and I were planning to eat out tonight," Edward suddenly looked shy. I relaxed.

"Oh." Esme looked delighted, and it didn't seem to be from the fact that she wouldn't have to cook and eat dinner with me. She actually seemed so joyful that I was going on a sort-of date with Edward. I didn't really understand. As a mother, I would have thought she would hope for Edward to have picked out someone a little better than me. Nevertheless, I wasn't about to question it. "Of course. You two have fun."

"I'm sure we will," I declared. I was really looking forward to our little date - even if I wasn't sure if it was a real date.

"Oh, and Esme, Bella is planning on painting and refurnishing her whole house before her things arrive," Edward informed her.

"Bella, I do hope you will allow me to help you," Esme looked so excited at the prospect that there was no way I could turn her down- it would be like throwing a baby puppy off a cliff.

"If you really wouldn't mind, then I'd love the help," I answered.

"I love decorating," she assured me, "but I've already done everything I could in this house, so this will give me another opportunity. I have colour pallets here, so after school tomorrow perhaps we could pick out and buy the colours you want. I can even get started on painting while you are at school," she offered. I accepted of course, since she seemed genuinely enthusiastic, and we worked out further details as I gave her a general idea of what I pictured for the interior of my home. Esme had a wealth of ideas to add.

Eventually Edward pulled me away and showed me around the house, pointing out the closed doors to his siblings' rooms, before leading me into his room. His room had a lovely thick gold carpet, a black leather lounge and a huge wrought iron bed. I resisted the urge to ask him what the bed was for, and followed him in.

Then I promptly forgot about everyone else as I took in his music collection. He had shelves and shelves of CD's and records, as well as an iPod docked on his state of the art stereo. "Wow," I breathed as I ran my hands over the CD cases. I turned to find Edward watching me with an indulgent smile. "I'm a little jealous," I confessed.

His smile grew broader. "Feel free to borrow anything you would like," he offered.

"Thank you," I grinned in excitement and started checking through the bands and albums. "How are they organised?"

"By year, and then personal preference," he came over and picked up the stereo remote, turning on the music. Around us swirled the sounds of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. "Since we can't agree on Tchaikovsky verses Debussy, I thought perhaps Beethoven would be better," he explained as he settled himself on the bed, leaning up against the headboard.

He looked absolutely adorable, and I abandoned my search of his music collection so that I could join him on the bed. "You seem to have great taste in music," I observed. "You've got many of my favourites."

"I've always loved music. The piano downstairs is mine," he professed. My heart skipped a beat at the thought of him playing, his long, elegant fingers masterfully stroking the keys.

"Will you play for me sometime?" I asked casually, trying not to betray how much I wanted him to.

"Of course," he agreed easily.

I settled more comfortably beside him, lying down fully on the bed, head resting on the pillow beside him. As the music swirled around us I looked up to find his mesmerising golden eyes watching me with a dizzying intensity and I couldn't look away. I had never seen anything in this world more perfect than Edward. Not only in looks, but in manners and personality, he was the ideal man for me. Still, some part of me felt that he deserved better.

We got through three more of Beethoven's compositions before Edward finally shifted, breaking out intense gaze. "I suppose we should get ready to go now," he commented with both reluctance and excitement. I understood how he felt. While I felt nothing would be more perfect than to lay here with Edward for eternity, I was also looking forward to our first outing together.

"Okay," I slowly slid off the bed, stretching a little. "I'll get changed and then we can go."

Edward nodded and I left his room, heading into the guest room that was currently mine. I didn't have a lot of options when it came to what I could wear. My duffel only held some jeans, pants, another jacket, a trench coat, and shirts. I sighed. I hadn't really planned on the possibility of a date when I packed my bag. I had just expected to need things to wear to school. Nevertheless, I put on my nicest pair of pants, a blue blouse and a black jacket. It would have to do. I made a mental note to buy something nicer before Edward took me on our Seattle date on the weekend.

Once I was ready, I skipped downstairs to wait for Edward, unable to contain all of my excitement and nerves. I skidded to a halt at the base of the stairs as my eyes locked on a third vampire. I instinctively tensed before my mind caught up and I realised that this must be Esme's husband, Carlisle. I relaxed as they looked over and smiled at me from the sofa. I headed over, eager to meet the vampire who had the self control to work as a doctor. Edward held a deep respect and love for this man, and I wanted to know more. "Bella, this is my husband, Carlisle," Esme introduced us.

I shook his hand, "It is lovely to meet you Dr Cullen, thank you for allowing me to stay in your home," I said politely. He looked like a blonde movie star, rather than a doctor.

He smiled, "Believe me Bella, we are more than happy to have you here," he assured me, "and it's Carlisle please."

Edward made his appearance then, coming up beside me and gently wrapping an arm around me. It felt so right and natural, even though it might have been far too early in a normal kind of relationship. I brushed that aside; neither Edward nor I were 'normal.' I leaned into him slightly, relaxing in his warm and comforting presence. Though Edward himself was cold, every time he touched me a warm, electric, pulse seemed to flow through me. Edward's parents watched with pleased smiles. I was glad that they seemed so accepting of me, though at the moment they thought I was a human that Edward could turn into a vampire. I didn't know how they would react when they found out that they were wrong.

"Well, we should be going," Edward said.

I nodded, "Well it was nice to meet you, Carlisle, Esme." I wanted them to like me.

"You too Bella, We'll see you both when you get home."

Edward led me out to the garage, grabbing a set of keys as he headed for his shiny black Vanquish. I whistled as I took it in fully. "Nice," I murmured appreciatively as my eyes roved over the car.

"I'm glad you approve," Edward chuckled as he opened the passenger door for me. I slid in, once again touched by Edward's gentlemanly gestures. We headed into town, Edward pointing everything out while I just sat back and enjoyed the ride. There wasn't much in Forks; some banks, a library, the hardware store, grocery store and a few eating places and inns. "Most of us go up to Port Angeles, or even Seattle, for everything other than groceries," Edward explained as we headed out of Forks and made our way to Port Angeles. "If you want a good bookstore, you have to go to Seattle." I nodded, filing that information away. Books were very important to me; they allowed me to escapee from my immortal, and lonely, life. Books offered me time away from my nightmares. I could immerse myself in a different world, one that was far happier than my own.

Edward accelerated once we were out of town, and I grinned as the world sped past us. Edward smiled as he looked over at me. "I see you weren't lying about your love of speed."

"Nope, there's no point having all this horsepower in a car if you're never going to use it," I informed him, watching his eyes glimmer with interest.

"Exactly," he grinned and accelerated even more.

It did not take long for us to get to Port Angeles, and as we entered the town Edward asked, "Anywhere in particular you need to go?"

Remembering my need for more clothes, especially for our Seattle date, I nodded. "Yes, I need some more clothes. I only brought some jeans and shirts with me - nothing I'd be comfortable wearing to an orchestra's performance," I admitted.

"Well I know a boutique near the foreshore that my sisters like," he said as he drove further into the town. The boutique he took me to looked like one Alice would have approved of. It was stylish, and carried designer labels. Though it was nearing the end of the day, the lady inside was friendly, and best of all, she didn't look too much at Edward, apart from the obligatory initial admiring glance. I browsed the shelves and found a few nice tops, a dress and some skirts. There were also some matching shoes that I grabbed as well. I hadn't worn heels in a long time, but Alice used to force me into them regularly, so at least I knew I had the balance to wear them. I was also lucky that my regeneration meant that I never got sore feet.

I tried all the clothes and shoes on quickly, not wanting to keep Edward waiting, although he didn't seem too worried by it. Once I'd made sure that they all fit, I put my own clothes back on and put them on the counter to pay for them. I wasn't sure which of the clothes I was going to wear on our Seattle date yet, but at least now I had some options. I placed them all on the counter, the lady smiling at me as she scanned them all and packed them in a bag. The total was a few hundred dollars, and as I was pulling out my purse, Edward handed her the cash. I turned and scowled at him. "Edward, I was going to pay!"

He shrugged, unrepentant. "I figured since you need the clothes for our date, that the least I can do is pay for them." He sounded as if he thought it was a perfectly understandable thing to do.

"No! I needed more clothes anyway, and I was more than able to buy them." The shopkeeper quietly handed over the receipt and change, obviously wishing to stay out of our argument. I took the bag of clothes and stalked out of the shop, with Edward on my heels. "Edward, I've taken care of myself for a long time now. I do not need you to pay for me." My words were firm as he opened the car door for me.

He waited until he was in the driver's seat before replying. "Bella, you're not alone anymore. Please let me do some things for you?" he asked. I looked up at his golden eyes, and my irritation fell away at the genuine sincerity in them. He really wanted to take care of me, shower me with affection and love. My heart fluttered at the thought. I had never had that before. I valued my independence, and had taken care of others from a young age. Even with Alice, she was my baby sister, and I took care of her. Not since my mother had I ever had someone care for me – and my mother hadn't really been the maternal type anyway.

I sighed in resignation. "Fine, but you can't do this all the time Edward. I have my own money, and my own independence." He nodded, seeming to be happy that I had accepted it without arguing much further.

"Where are we going now?" I asked, noticing that we were now heading away from the boutique.

"I thought, before we have dinner, that I could show you the actual port," he explained as he pulled us into some parking at the edge of the shore. In front of us stretched the port, gentle rocking waves lapping at the shore. Edward came around and opened my door again – I had a feeling that I was going to get used to his gentlemanly manners. We headed down a path and out onto the pier. Our hands brushed as we walked, and almost of its own accord, my hand gently slipped into his. He squeezed my hand gently and I basked in the warm, electrified feelings running through me. When we reached the end of the pier, we stood together, looking out into the water. The waves lapping softly against the pier were soothing as I leaned into Edward and we held hands. With him I finally felt content again – something I never thought I would feel again after losing Alice.

* * *

So what do you think so far?

BTW Bella does have a large backstory to come... ( a few more chapters away - have to let Edward and Bella bond first)


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm sorry this wasn't up earlier, but FFN just wouldn't let me update. Thanks to Snake N. Clover for letting me know how to bypass the error :)**

Thank you for all the comments guys, i love hearing what you think.

In this chapter Bella will be a little unsure. bear in mind that she has been a lone for a long time and is a little socially awkward, especially when she's never been in a relationship before...

**Chapter 3**

We stood together on the pier until the sun finally set, enveloping us in a darkening dusk. It was too cloudy to actually see much of the sun – just a deep orange orb glowing through the clouds. Once the sun was gone Edward released a soft sigh. "Dinner?" he asked gently. I nodded, I was a little hungry since the cafeteria food for lunch had been horrible.

He took me to an Italian restaurant called Bella Italia. Inside it looked pleasant, with a warm ambience. However, I did not like the way the hostess eyed up Edward. "A private table for two please," Edward asked, and his smooth velvet voice only served to make her eyes widen even further, though she looked a little disappointed at his request, especially when she took a good look at me. Most predators are beautiful, and I was no exception to that. While I could not compete with a vampire's beauty, I was still quite pretty.

The hostess guided us to a secluded corner table, and left us with our menus. It was not long before a waitress come rushing over, her eager eyes immediately roving over Edward. I glared. Edward was mine. I may not feel like I was worthy of him, but there was no way that I was going to let anyone take him from me. She gulped, and dropped her gaze a little. It looked like my glare was still effective. My smug gaze caught Edward's eyes as we ordered our drinks. He shot me an amused look as the waitress left. I was unrepentant, smoothly picking up my menu to peruse the dinner options. There were a number of delicious sounding things on the menu, and I quickly decided on the Chicken Parmigana. I suddenly remembered that Edward was a vampire, and Italian cooking wasn't really part of his diet.

"What are you going to order?" I asked curiously.

He shrugged, "I'm not really hungry." I breathed an inaudible sigh of relief. I would have felt terrible if he'd forced himself to eat for my sake and had to throw it up later. When Alice had first turned into a vampire she had tried normal food, but we had quickly discovered that she could not digest it.

"Well in that case, would you mind ordering the Tuscan Steak for me? I'm starving, and one meal just isn't going to cut it." His eyes opened wide in surprise as he took a quick, disbelieving glance over my thin body, and I blushed, hoping he didn't think I was a pig for my eating habits. Nevertheless, when the waitress came back, we both ordered, and I made my way through both of our meals with ease, while Edward continued to shoot me disbelieving glances at regular intervals. Despite this, the dinner was lovely overall. The food was good and the company even better. Edward and I were never at a loss for a conversation topic, and we played a game of twenty questions, each getting to know each other a little better. Though we both tended to shy away from our own histories – I didn't want to scare Edward away just yet, but I also didn't want to lie to him. Instead we found out each other's favourite books, countries, colours, flowers etc.

Edward wouldn't let me pay for dinner, smoothly slipping a hundred dollar note into the bill folder and telling the waitress, "No change." I pouted a little, but he grinned. "A gentleman never allows a lady to pay," he informed me. I rolled my eyes but accepted it.

He took me down the street after that, to Baskin-Robbins ice-cream. I gave him a delighted grin as we went inside. I got two scoops of my favourite ice-cream flavours- Choc chip cookie dough and German chocolate cake. They were then smothered in chocolate fudge sauce, whipped cream and a cherry. Edward watched with an indulgent smile as I happily took possession of my precious sundae. "Want some?" I asked as we sat down.

"No thanks, I don't particularly like ice-cream," he chuckled. I shrugged, more than happy that he was a vampire and that I wouldn't have to share my delicious treat. I took a bit first bite, moaning in ecstasy as the sweet ice-cream flavours exploded on my tongue. "This is to die for," my eyes rolled back in pleasure, and when I opened them I found Edward staring at me, eyes dark with desire. I gulped and dropped my eyes back to my sundae, taking another delicious bite. I didn't really know what I was doing. The only person I had ever allowed close was Alice. I had never had a romantic relationship before, and the feelings I had for Edward were overwhelming. I sighed, enjoying my ice-cream and resolving to just follow my heart and do what felt right. I had a feeling that there wasn't a handbook for mutants dating vampires.

Eventually I finished the last bite of my sundae, staring woefully at the empty cup before chucking it in the bin. We headed back to the Cullen's house, where Esme and Carlisle waited with expectant smiles on the lounge as we came inside. "Did you two have a good time?" Esme asked. She looked hopeful, and anxious for an answer.

"It was great, Edward even took me shopping and got me ice-cream," I smiled as Esme glowed with happiness.

"That's wonderful. I'm so glad you had fun. You know, Edward's ever taken a girl out before, so I was worried that he might not have the best ideas on what to do," Esme babbled excitedly, while Edward looked down in embarrassment. I thought it was endearing, and it was heart-warming to see how much Esme cared for him. Carlisle surveyed us all with amusement.

"Well, I've never been out with a guy before, but I thought it was pretty perfect," I admitted. Edward looked up and smiled at this, grabbing my hand and squeezing affectionately. I smiled back, and we soon settled with Esme and Carlisle for a little bit. I got to know them further, and found that my first impressions had been correct. A nicer couple - vampire, mutant or human - would be hard to find. They were genuinely caring and compassionate people.

It was midnight when I realised that I was a little tired. I hadn't slept in a few days, since I could go weeks without sleep and my regenerating body wouldn't notice. Even when I did sleep, it was only for a few hours. Sometimes I liked to sleep. It provided me with an escape from the real world, although, at the moment, my real world was looking pretty good. Other times, I was scared to sleep. I had nightmares about my past, which would bring back memories I desperately wanted to forget. Many people had tried to kill me and my friends, and I had killed even more. Alice had been the sister I lost because of my enemies. I had never forgotten coming home to find a pile of her ashes, and a note telling me who had killed my wonderful sister. It had been for revenge against me. Alice had had nothing to do with it, and yet they had ripped her from my life. But now, things were looking up in my world. Edward was all I could ever have hoped for, although I was a little worried about my own ability to be worth of him.

I hadn't even known Edward for very long, and I'd been alone for a long time. I doubted I was going to be very good at being part of a couple. Already I was pretty sure Edward deserved a lot better than what he got – me. He was kind, thoughtful, smart, gorgeous – the prefect guy, even if he could be a little overprotective, which was sometimes endearing, but usually annoying. I was a damaged predator that had killed thousands. He definitely deserved better than me.

I started to hope that maybe what I had felt was just static electricity, or something. Maybe this sudden infatuation was one-sided, and a result of him being so good looking and nice. Because such a wonderful guy just couldn't be meant for me. There was bound to be some nice, good vampiress out there who was his real mate. However, my heart knew the truth. Our bond was already sealed, and the way Edward looked at me only confirmed it. The immediate acceptance from his parents also told me all I needed to know. Edward was bound to me for eternity. Despite my worries, I couldn't help feeling happy that I was no longer alone.

Edward and I headed upstairs, changed into some comfier clothes, and sat on his bed for a while longer, listening to the soothing sounds of David Helfgott's piano compositions. Eventually I became drowsy, falling asleep on Edward's shoulder. I drifted off peacefully, feeling more content than I had been in the last thirty years.

I dreamt of marrying Edward that night. It was a beautiful white wedding; my handsome Edward waiting at the end of the aisle with a glorious smile, and me in a long white dress walking towards him. I remember us exchanging ardent glances of love as we said our vowels and sealed the deal with a kiss. I woke up in the early hours of the morning with a smile on my face. I found that I was still on Edward's bed, though now I was tucked under the covers. Downstairs I could hear Edward, Carlisle and Esme speaking softly. My acute hearing- not as good as a vampire's, but significantly better than a human's – allowed me to listen in. "I think it's wonderful that you've finally found your mate, even if she is human." You could hear the happiness in Esme's voice despite the distance.

"As do I, son," Carlisle said. "However, you know you will have to tell her what we are soon. You only have a few weeks- a month at most before you need to change her. Otherwise she will die."

I heard Edward give a soft, resigned sigh. "I know Carlisle. I've already started giving her little clues so that hopefully I can ease her into the knowledge that we're vampires. I don't know it she'll believe me if I simply tell her right now," he explained. "I know I have to change her, but I feel so bad for having condemned her to this life with a simple touch." He sounded so sad, and I wanted to go and comfort him, but I just couldn't bring myself to do so yet. I still had no idea how I was going to confess my past to them. I was also amazed that Edward seemed reluctant to have me as a vampire.

"You're going to have to soon. She's obviously already attached, from what we heard of her sleep talk earlier," Carlisle reminded him. I blushed in mortification, remembering my dream of our wedding. I had never even thought about a wedding until I met Edward – not even when I was a young girl had I considered the idea of marring. And yet, now the idea seemed rather appealing. That still didn't help with my embarrassment though. I had forgotten about my sleep talking. Alice used to find it funny, especially when much of what I had said was refusals to go shopping with her, and begging her to let us go home because I already had enough clothes. But I hadn't lived with anyone since losing Alice, so I hadn't had to worry about my sleep talking since.

It was mortifying to realise that they had heard my dream. "I have never felt so incredibly happy before than when I heard Bella say, "'I do,' and 'I love you Edward. We're finally married.'" Edward admitted in a jubilant tone. While it was somewhat less embarrassing to find that Edward had liked what I said, I was still bright red. It was lucky that nobody was near me to see.

"I am so happy for you Edward. After the last eighty or so years, I was beginning to wonder if you would ever find your mate," Esme gushed. "Now our family will finally be complete." I raised an eyebrow at her words. At least now I had some indication of Edward's age. Obviously he was over eighty. I had already judged from his gentlemanly manners that he wasn't a young vampire, but this just confirmed it. I had a feeling that he was probably pretty close in age to me.

It was nice to hear how happy they were for Edward, but it didn't alleviate my stress over them finding out I was a mutant. Even worse, I had no idea how well they would take my claws- twelve inches of adamantium covered, sharp, claws that could slice through steel, cement, and even vampires, with ease. That was what I was worried about. What would happen when they found out that I was a freak of nature? Born of two human parents, but a natural predator – a mutant born as a killing machine.

I kept my breathing deep and even, knowing that none of them would believe that after just three hours of sleep I could bounce out of bed and be energised for the entire day. They continued to talk for a while downstairs, and I listened as I dozed on Edward's bed.

As daylight finally arrived I slid slowly out of bed and made my way to my own room, getting ready for the day. Esme made me breakfast- far too much for a normal human, but there was no way I was going to tell her that. I ate it all up, complimenting her on her cooking, which was delicious. Her pancakes especially, were absolutely melt-in-your-mouth wonderful. Edward joined me, hair still wet from a shower, and he looked even more edible than the pancakes. I suppressed my thoughts though, and soon found myself in Edward's Volvo, and being driven to school. It was raining lightly, and I didn't want my bike getting wet, so going with Edward seemed like a great idea. Until, I got to school that is, and everyone saw me get out of Edward's car. The girls were all glaring at me jealously, and the guys looked like they wanted to beat up Edward - an idea that would seriously backfire if anyone tried.

Edward managed to switch into most of my classes, sweet talking Mrs Cope and telling her that it would be helpful to me – the new girl – to have him - straight A student who could make sure I became comfortable with the curriculum. I raised a sceptical brow at this, but if it let him be in my classes, I wasn't about to contradict his story. Our day went relatively well. As long as I stayed near Edward, no one really dared approach, although there were a lot of stares. There were only a couple of times during the day where Edward and I were separated, and Jessica immediately pounced. "Bella! What's going on with you and Edward? Are you two like dating now?" She seemed desperate for some gossip. I shrugged and walked off.

Lauren cornered me not long after. "Listen here new girl," she sneered. "Edward Cullen is mine, so whatever kind of deal you have going for him, you'd better stop and stay away from him or else." Someone should really have told her that being mean only made her look ugly. Besides, I didn't take too well to threats.

"Or else what?" I growled, stepping closer so I was right in her face. She gulped, and I could see that she could now feel the predatory vibe I was giving off. Her human instincts were screaming at her to run.

"Never mind," she said weakly before turning and walking away as quickly as possible. I smirked after her before heading to my next class. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Edward and I continued to learn more about each other, and enjoy our time together.

That afternoon Esme and I headed for my house, walking over each of the rooms and picking out colours, and ideas for furnishings. I had a few paintings and a lot of photos coming, but I was planning on new furniture. We made lists. I would need a few lounge suites, coffee tables, TV's and entertainment systems, which Esme assured me that Edward was very good at assembling. I also needed a few beds for the various rooms, dressers, side tables, lamps... the list went on and on. It had been a long time since I had furnished a house, and last time I had Alice to help me. Esme and I also brought all of the paint, and I actually got to pay since we left Edward at home. Esme assured me that they had all the painting supplies, so that was one less thing to remember.

That night I watched in amusement as Esme, Carlisle and Edward pushed their food around on their plates. Esme had made a lovely chicken risotto, that I happily gulped down, not wanting to keep them all at the table and in front of food for too long. Every now and then their loaded forks would disappear quickly into their laps before returning unloaded back above the table. I pretended not to notice, since the movements would have been too fast for a human eye. My eyes, like my ears, were not quite as good as a vampire's, but much better than a human's. My speed and strength, however, were just as good, if not better, than a vampire's, although I did tire after a few hours. My sense of taste was infinitely superior to theirs.

That night, I once again spent the evening with Edward, listening to music in his room until I dozed off, my lead resting cosily on his chest. Once again, my dreams were happy ones of Edward and me. This time we were travelling to our honeymoon - a private tropical island. Alice and I had brought a few islands, our favourite being an island off of Rio. I had wanted to name it Isle Alice. She had wanted to name it Isle Bella. In the end, we had settled on our mutual favourite thing. It was called Isle Swift. We loved Isle Swift. There Alice could be out in the sun as much as she wanted, and so could I. My regenerating skin meant I never got sunburnt. It was very private, and we had a lovely house with a huge veranda and a ton of skylights to get as much sun as possible. There were natural lagoons and waterfalls on the island, as well as a couple of bays and some beautiful reefs. We had loved it there. I hadn't been back since losing Alice, but with Edward, I suddenly envisioned us heading there for our honeymoon. Mmm, my Edward, sun, reef, and private island – the perfect honeymoon. I woke this time to find Edward's arms wrapped around me. Edward had his eyes closed, and was obviously pretending to be asleep, considering that it was two o'clock in the morning. I snuggled back into his chest and dozed for the next few hours, just happy to be in his arms.

Thursday passed pretty uneventfully. By the time Edward and I finished school, Esme had already painted a couple of rooms in my house. They now looked much better in light colours. "Oh Esme, thank you so much, these rooms look amazing," I told her as we viewed her handiwork and prepared to help get a bit more done that afternoon.

"It was no trouble at all Bella, in fact, I didn't have much else to do this week, and this is much better than sitting around the house being bored," she assured me. Before we stopped for the night, over a third of my house was painted. That night I once again found myself falling asleep while still in Edward's room, somehow his presence was so soothing that he made me sleepy. This time I dreamt further along on our honeymoon as we explored Isle Swift and each other. I woke up blushing, and hoping desperately that I had not talked too much in my sleep. Edward was gone from the room though, so I had nothing with which to gauge what I might have said. Edward and I were growing closer, and I knew I had to tell him what I was. I couldn't stop thinking about kissing him either. His lips always looked so tempting. This was another first for me. I'd never been kissed. Hard to believe isn't it? Over a hundred and never been kissed- that had to be some sort of record.

Friday night, I actually managed to make it into my own guest room before falling asleep. This turned out to be a bad idea. Without Edward's soothing presence, I soon found myself in the midst of a nightmare. In it, the people who had murdered Alice were trying to take Edward from me. I tossed and turned and screamed at them to stop, but somehow I couldn't reach them. I was forced to watch as they burned him to ashes. "No!" I screamed, waking up panting with exertion, and slashing out with my claws. My eyes widened as my claws bit into something, slicing deep. Edward had a hand on my shoulder, his look frozen in surprise. My claws were buried deep in his body, ten inch slashes all the way through and up his chest, with the tips of my claws showing out his back. From the doorway I could hear the shocked gasps of Carlisle and Esme as they took in the scene before them. Venom was seeping out of Edward's wounds, turning his shirt dark.

"No, no," I gasped as I retracted my claws out of Edward. "I'm so sorry." I couldn't believe I had just sliced into my mate. A little more and he would have been in pieces. I slashed my wrist with the claws from my other hand, holding my bleeding arms out to Edward. "Please drink," I begged him. His jaw clenched and he shook his head. "Please," I re-slashed my arm, knowing that, under the blood, the first cut had healed. Then I shoved my wrist into his mouth. As my blood hit his tongue his instincts took over. He latched on, sucking powerfully. I felt the familiar surge as my body started creating more blood, allowing Edward to drink. As Edward drank, his body healed itself rapidly, the long slices I left in his chest knitting back together as if they had never been there. Through his ripped shirt, Esme and Carlisle watched on in shock as they looked from Edward's healing chest, to my wrist in his mouth, to a perfectly healthy me.

Finally Edward pulled away from my wrist with a gasp. His eyes were horrified, but I barely noticed that. What I did noticed was that they were the most vibrant green I had ever seen. "Bella, are you alright?" It pained me that after all I had done to him, he was still worried about me.

"I'm fine Edward, but I'm so sorry. I can understand if you don't want me here anymore." I needed to leave. I couldn't face them now. I jumped out of bed, pulled open the window, and dropped the two stories to the ground, landing easily on the balls of my feet. I sprinted away; needing to get away from what I was sure would be rejection now that they knew what kind of monster I was. Behind me I heard Edward scream, "Bella!" but I didn't look back. Edward and the Cullens would all be better without me.

* * *

Let me know what you thought...


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

I ran hard, desperate to put distance between what I was sure would be an angry and hurt Edward, and me. I eventually stopped running, my heart in agony at the thought of leaving Edward behind. I hadn't taken the mating bond into account when I had run. I stopped and collapsed on the forest floor, curling up into a ball and crying. I had hurt the man I had fallen in love with. He was sure to hate me now, mating bond or not. His family would never accept me now they had seen the truth of what I was, and I could not go back. Agony shot through me, sending waves of pain and despair, and I let it encompass me.

A little while later I started feeling a little better. The pain was no longer as strong, and I realised with a start that Edward was coming for me. He arrived quickly, grabbing me and pressing me hard against his chest. "I was so afraid I'd hurt you," he whispered, pulling me close. "What were you thinking? Allowing me to drink your blood like that? I could have killed you." His voice was strained, and it pained me even further to know that running away had hurt him. Now that I was back in his arms I was slowly calming.

"I'm a regenerating mutant with claws Edward – my blood regenerates faster than you can drink it. There was never any danger for me. On the other hand, I nearly killed you. My claws were buried in your chest when I woke up." I was upset that somehow, he didn't see how horrible I was. I should have been relieved that he'd cared enough to follow me, but I wasn't. He looked adorably confused.

"What is a mutant Bella?" There was no fear in his eyes, only love, and that sustained me.

I sighed, realising that the time had come to tell him the truth. "There are some humans that are born with an extra gift. Part of their DNA is mutated which allows them to have a special power. Some of the are telepathic, or can control fire, water, weather, have seductive powers, can clone themselves whatever you can think of, there's probably a mutant out there that can do it. My mutant ability is regeneration, and my claws." I slowly slid them out and Edward eyed them with something akin to fascination. I still didn't understand why he wasn't scared. "I cannot die, in fact, I was born in 1898," I explained. Edward's eyes widened even further, but he didn't say anything yet, just let me continue with my story. "My life has been hard, and I've killed a lot of people, humans and vampires who threatened me. Many have tried to use me as an ultimate weapon. This metal coating my claws is Adamantium, and it covers my entire skeleton, making it unbreakable. It is also sharp enough that I can cut through anything." Here I smiled wryly, "Even vampires," I was sure he hadn't forgotten his own encounter with my claws only hours ago.

"You are amazing," Edward breathed.

I frowned, angry at his idea of me. "No I'm not Edward. I may not have killed anyone in the last few decades, but I've taken a lot of lives. You deserve so much better than me – I still find it hard to believe that we have a mating bond."

Edward was once again surprised. "You know about that? How much do you know about vampires?" he demanded.

I cringed, though his tone hadn't really been angry, more shocked. "Yes, I know a fair bit about vampires. I recognised the feeling when we bonded, although I still can't believe you're bonded to me – I know I don't deserve someone as wonderful as you. My sister, Mary Alice, the one that died, she was a vampire," I explained.

"Wow, I was so worried about telling you, and yet you already knew," he actually sounded relieved. "But how did your sister die?"

"She was murdered by some people who I had escaped from - the ones that coated my skeleton in adamantium to try and make me the ultimate weapon," I explained, almost near tears as I thought of my beloved sister. "I came home one day to find a pile of ashes." I said sadly.

Edward hugged me closer, giving me the comfort I needed. "I can only imagine how that feels," he murmured. "And no matter what you think Bella, I am the one who is not worthy of you. I was born in 1901, and after I was turned I developed the gift of mind reading," my eyes widened at this admission in momentary dread at what he might have heard, but then I realised that he would have known about me if he had read my mind. "Not yours obviously," he assured me, and I sighed with relief at the confirmation. "Carlisle taught me to drink from animals, and spare the lives of humans, but after I while I rebelled. I left Carlisle and Esme, and hunted all the murders, rapists, abusers and the lowest levels of humankind. I convinced myself that I was doing the world a service, but eventually I realised that I was simply playing god. I didn't have the right to choose who lived and who died," he said sadly. "So you see Bella, I'm the monster here – I have to drink blood to survive." He said it was such confidence that it was obvious he truly believed he was a monster. That made me angry.

"No Edward, you are a completely differed species from humans and your dietary requirement is blood. I am a mutant version if a human - I am still human though. Vampires can live in completely different environments from humans - hell; Atlantis is probably an underwater city full of vampires - since they don't need air to survive."

He chuckled, "They need it to talk though."

"That's what sign language is for," I reluctantly smiled at the thought, momentarily distracted from the point I was trying to make. "You didn't choose to become a vampire, but you've done the best with what you've been given. I was born a predator- a mutant designed to hunt and kill, while you were at least originally a human," I was trying to get my point across. "You are no monster Edward. It is obvious that you went back to Esme and Carlisle, and I can't help admiring you for that."

"Oh Bella, the way you see me is ludicrous, but I can't help wishing it was true," he sighed.

"It is," I reached up and cupped his face gently.

He smiled a little. "Would this be an inappropriate time to tell you that I love you?" he whispered, and suddenly all my fears and worries took a backseat.

"Anytime you wish to tell me that, I'd be happy to hear it," I whispered back, "because I love you too."

His face broke out in a blinding smile, "You have no idea how happy you have made me Bella."

"Oh I have some idea." I was positively jubilant at having gained his love in spite of not being human. "Will you mind that I won't ever be like you?" I asked, suddenly worried.

"What do you mean?" He frowned in confusion.

"My body rejects venom, since I am already immortal," I explained. "I can never be a vampire like you."

"No love, in fact I prefer you just as you are," he assured me. "I didn't like the idea of turning you, although I was prepared to do it when I thought you were human, because I couldn't bear for you to die, and I wanted to keep you forever. But to know I won't have to subject you to three days of pain and an eternal life coping with the never-ending thirst of our kind is a relief," he smiled at me.

I smiled back, relaxing as he explained. It felt so good to have him accept me. Then I remembered Esme and Carlisle. I stiffened. "Do you think Carlisle and Esme will be alright with what I am?" I asked anxiously, pulling back to search his eyes for answers.

His eyes were calm and reassuring. "Of course they will. Esme would be happy if you were a werewolf, a succubus, a human-drinking vampire, anything – she's been hoping for so long that I would find a mate. She already loves you, and so does Carlisle. They both already see you as a member of the family." His words stilled my worries.

"Okay," I sighed. "I suppose we should be getting back then," I mused, reluctant to leave Edward's arms.

"Yes we should," he agreed, before swinging me up so I was cradled bridal style in his arms and taking off.

I laughed as we ran, noting that his speed was a little faster than mine. "I can run you know," I said as he carried me.

He chuckled, "I know. I thought I was done being shocked by you, then you landed easily from a two storey drop, and then you took off into the woods as quickly as a vampire." I grinned smugly, but settled further into his chest. My big reveal certainly hadn't gone to plan, but inside I was rejoicing that Edward had accepted me with such ease.

We walked inside the Cullen home to find an anxious Esme and Carlisle waiting for us. When Edward put me down, Esme immediately rushed to hug me. "Oh Bella," she said as she pulled me tightly to her, "Please don't ever run away like that again. You scared us sweetheart." I couldn't help feeling horribly guilty for making such a sweet and caring lady like Esme worry.

"I'm sorry Esme, it won't happen again," I promised. We all settled on the lounges, Edward beside me and holding my hand. I drew strength from the contact. "If it is all right with you, I'd prefer to wait and tell my entire history in detail when the rest of your family comes back next week, because it is quite painful to tell," my throat closed up at the mere thought of my past.

Carlisle nodded in understanding, eyes bright with curiosity and compassion. "Of course Bella, we can all understand your wish to only retell your story once," he assured me. Esme and Edward nodded in agreement.

"Thank you," I smiled tremulously. "I will however, tell you that I am a mutant,"  
I went on to explain mutants, and my own regeneration ability and claws as they listened with interest. "That is why, when Edward drank my blood, his wounds heal so quickly. I know normally it would take at least a day for his venom to heal him," I explained as I demonstrated my healing ability by slicing a cut down my arm, all the way to the adamantium coated bone. They all held their breath and watched as the cut immediately healed itself.

"That is amazing," Carlisle breathed, his eyes wide with wonder.

"Yes. As a result I am immortal, born in 1898, but there have been many who wanted me to use as a weapon, and the few vampires that found out wanted me as a never-ending dinner," I explained, and they immediately looked at me with sympathy. I told them a little about my vampire sister, and, without going into our history, I mentioned breifly how we had lived together for thirty-four years before she was killed. "My sister, Mary Alice – although she preferred Alice - was so happy and full of life. She didn't deserve to die because of me." A single tear escaped from my eyes and Edward gently wiped it away.

Once I had finished, Carlisle asked, "Bella, may I ask why Edward's eyes are now green?" Edward pulled back in surprise, and jumped up to look in the mirror. He looked at his eyes, and then back at me incredulously.

I smiled wryly, "My blood always seems to have that affect. When Alice used to drink my blood her eyes would turn blue - the colour they were as a human."

Carlisle nodded, "Edward's eyes were that exact shade of green as a human too, as were his mother's," he confirmed. Edward seemed fascinated as he looked at his green eyes.

"As far as I know, they'll turn back to gold as soon as you feed again," I informed him. "Although, for you, I'd be more than happy to let you feed from me when you need it. I've been told that I taste and smell much better than any animal, or even any human."

Edward looked surprised by my offer. "You'd let me drink from you every couple of weeks?" He sounded shocked at the mere thought.

"Of course, you're my mate, and my blood can easily regenerate. My sister used to do so all the time, especially when we lived in cities, since there was no wildlife nearby," I explained. "Besides, then I get to keep you with me all the time, since you won't have to leave to go hunting." It sounded like a win-win situation to me, but Edward squirmed uncomfortably.

"I don't know. My mind knows that you won't get hurt if I drink your blood, but my heart is scared that something might happen – you look and feel so human Bella," he explained. I nodded and shrugged, he had a couple of weeks before he needed to hunt again, and that would be plenty of time for him to think it over.

Once we settled down for the day, and I explained a little more about my abilities, like the fact that all of my senses were enhanced, though not to the level of a vampire, and that I was as fast and strong as a vampire, though I tired after a few hours, Carlisle left for his hospital shift, and Esme, Edward and I headed over to my house to put the final touches on the painting. It was pretty much ready to furnish, and Edward and I had a list of things to get in Seattle tomorrow before our date. Edward and Esme told me their stories, as well as Carlisle's. I winced when I heard how sick with the Spanish influenza Edward had been. I was so grateful that Carlisle had saved him. Esme's story of jumping off a cliff tugged hard at my heartstrings. Such a kind, wonderful mother shouldn't have been subjected to the pain of losing a son – a pain so strong that she had wanted to die in order to escape it. Carlisle's story was the most interesting. It was amazing to hear that he had actually found real vampires to hunt as a human, and that he had resisted human blood and found another way after he had been changed. The inner strength Carlisle possessed was inspiring.

I stopped them before they could tell me about the other members of their family. "I want to meet them, and for them to eventually trust me enough to tell me their own stories and any gifts they have," I explained. I didn't want to start off on the wrong foot with the rest of Edward's family. It was important to me that they accepted me, if not for myself, at least for Edward.

Edward and Esme understood, and therefore only gave me general descriptions of the four missing members of the Cullen family. "Rosalie is beautiful, but very protective," Edward warned me. "Of all of them, it is her and Jasper who will be the least likely to trust you. Jasper came from a different type of coven, and he is very protective of Alice, even though she doesn't need it. Alice is friendly and bubbly," just hearing about Edward's sister who carried the same name as my own made me nostalgic, especially when he described a personality so much like my own dear sister's had been.

"And Emmett is just a big kid," Esme smiled dotingly, cutting in on Edward's descriptions. "He doesn't know his own strength, so watch out, because he will probably try and hug you," she warned. I smiled. At least it sounded like one of the four would be welcoming.

Later that afternoon Edward and I walked hand in hand along the river that was behind the Cullen house. The sun managed to peek out through the trees, sending Edward's skin into sparkling points of colour. I smiled at the sight, he truly looked like a god, glowing in the sunlight. He looked a little anxious at first, but seeing my perfectly happy smile, he relaxed. I squeezed his hand and we stopped, so I could admire him some more. "You're beautiful," I whispered reverently.

"No I'm not Bella, You're the beautiful one," he said, sincerity in every word. My heart thumped unevenly. I stared longingly at his lips. Was it too much to ask for one little kiss? I didn't want to scare him away with my forwardness, but I really wanted to feel his lips on mine_. Then again_, my inner voice argued, _you've never been one to sit back and wait. If you want it take it- he's you're mate, it's not like he's gonna complain_. I congratulated my inner voice and boldly reached up, pressing my lips to his. My body burned; a wildfire coursing through my veins as I buried my hands in Edward's glorious hair and pulled him closer. Pleasure shot through me as he responded ardently. Oh yeah, my inner voice knew what it was talking about.

We stayed like that for a while, reeling in the feelings flooding through us. When we eventually broke away Edward cupped my face gently in his hands, staring down at me with scorching green eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too." I said shyly. They weren't words I had ever used much, but they were true, and it was nice to feel love and have it reciprocated.

We stayed out for a while, enjoying simply being with each other. We may have only met less than a week ago, but we were already in love, and assured of an unbreakable bond that would keep us together for eternity. There was no reason to rush with eternity ahead of us, but there was also no reason to wait either, when our life together was already assured.

That evening I ate while Edward, Esme and Carlisle sat at the table and watched. They seemed fascinated by the large portions I could eat, and I explained my fast metabolism to them between bites of Esme's delicious hearty stew. I also told them of my minimal sleeping hours. They all soaked up the information like a sponge. "If you only sleep for a few hours, what were you doing these last few nights? Just pretending to still be asleep?" Edward asked. He looked both sheepish and intrigued as he waited for my answer, obviously remembering that he had held me for the majority of nights, only leaving just before he thought I would wake up.

I nodded and smiled wryly, "Yes, I was far too comfortable to entertain any thought of moving from your arms." He grinned at my admission and my heart beat a little faster, which only caused his grin to grow. "I still wasn't sure how to tell you about me, so I played it safe and dozed for the extra few hours. Besides," I realised, "When I was with you, you kept my nightmares at bay – I only dreamed of happy things when you were with me." It was true. The only time I had nightmares had been when I slept in the guestroom instead of in Edward's arms.

"Do you have nightmares often?" Esme asked, worry seeping through her tone. Edward and Carlisle both looked concerned as well.

"Yes," I confessed. "With a past as awful as mine they are inevitable, but so far Edward has been doing a good job of unwittingly staving them off."

"So last night, when your claws came out and you were screaming, that is what they are normally like?" Edward asked, his eyes anxious as he watched me.

I nodded, looking down. Edward lifted my chin up to meet his loving gaze. "If all it takes for you to never have nightmares again is for me to stay beside you, then that is what I will do," he promised. I smiled gratefully and he returned it with an impish look. "Besides, your sleep talk is fascinating."

My cheeks burned brightly as all three vampires chuckled. "I can't help what I dream," I protested feebly.

Edward caressed my cheek. "Of course not love. From what I heard, your dreams were ones I wouldn't mind making a reality," I gulped at the look of desire in his eyes. Anticipation curled in my stomach, and my heartbeat sped up.

"That sounds like a good plan," I allowed, thinking of my wedding and honeymoon dreams. Edward beamed at me.

"But where is this island you seemed to want us to go to?" he asked curiously. "In your sleep you mentioned Isle Swift? I've never heard of it, I even tried to research it online and couldn't find anything, but from what I heard of your dreams it sounded like a nice place to visit," his eyes were glowing with enjoyment as my blush deepened.

"It is a private island that I own," I informed them. "My sister and I bought it nearly fifty years ago, although I haven't been back since she died. It is located off the coast of Rio de Janeiro- a few hours of sailing. Nice and warm, private and tropical. My sister and I loved it," I told them, reminiscing on those happy sunny days I had sent there with Alice. "We stayed for a whole year at one point, only going to the mainland to buy food and shop on occasion. Alice didn't need to hunt with me there to provide a never-ending food source, and it was wonderful spending time exploring the hidden wonders of the island and the reef. It even has an orchard filled with my favourite fruit trees – mangoes, abiu, tangerines, jaboticaba, sapodilla, jackfruit, pomelos and more," I told them.

"Oh it sounds just like my own island, Isle Esme, which is also located a few hours off the coast of Rio," Esme exclaimed.

My eyes widened, "You own an island there too?"

"Yes, it was an anniversary gift from Carlisle about a decade ago," she explained, looking lovingly at her husband, who gently squeezed her hand affectionately.

"Wow, I wonder how close they are to each other," I mused. Edward zipped out of the room and returned with a map of the Rio coast and surrounding waters. Isle Esme had been marked on it. I perused the map until I located the small circle of green that signified my own island. "There," I pointed. It was about twelve miles North West of Isle Esme. "They are quite close after all."

"So they are," Carlisle observed with a smile. "Perhaps one day we will visit the islands together," he suggested. I nodded thoughtfully. It would be nice to visit Isle Swift with Edward and know that if we wanted company we would only have to sail or swim a little ways to Isle Esme.

"You accumulate a lot of money when you never age, and my sister and I decided we should indulge. Buying that island was one of the best ideas we ever had." In some ways I wish Alice and I had stayed there, or on one of our other three islands, because it would have been much harder for someone to have found her there. However, Alice had loved the city, the crowds of people, and most of all, the shopping. I couldn't take her away from that.

"I have a few other islands too – Alice and I liked our privacy, so there is also Artemis Isle, an isle in Greece named after the goddess of the hunt. Another is Wolverine Island in the Caribbean – Alice named that one for me - it was a Christmas present," I explained. "And the last is Glamour Isle on the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. Glamour Isle was my Christmas gift to Alice the year she gave me Wolverine Island - we both had the same idea," I laughed as I reminisced. We had been shocked when we found that the other had given us an island. Edward, Esme and Carlisle listened with interest as I described the four islands. Each was absolutely beautiful, and held many natural delights, but Isle Swift had always been a favourite simply because it was the first Alice and I had purchased, and therefore held more happy memories. I found myself wanting to show Edward the islands.

Later that night Edward and I went to bed. This time Edward joined me under the covers as I snuggled up to him. "Won't you get cold?" he looked apprehensive.

"No," I shook my head, "My regeneration power keeps my body warm no matter what. I can feel the differences in temperature, but it doesn't bother me whether I am in the scorching heat or a snowstorm," I explained and he relaxed. As I fell asleep I heard him humming lightly to me as his hands gently rubbed my back. I had no fear of nightmares tonight.

* * *

There you go- Edward running after Bellla - what did you think?

The rest of the Cullens will show up in the next chapter...


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Sunday morning I woke in the early morning after my three hours of sleep. Edward watched me, smiling softly. I was far too comfortable to contemplate moving from his arms, so we stayed in bed, arms wrapped around each other, and talked until dawn arrived.

It wasn't until I was happily wolfing down a large breakfast, cooked by Esme despite my protests that I could do my own cooking, that I remembered that today was our big date in Seattle. I stopped eating for a moment, panic setting in. I still had no idea what I was going to wear! There was no style-loving sister to call on, and all I had for options were the few clothes I had selected in Port Angeles the other day.

Esme noticed that I had stopped eating. "Is there something wrong with it?" she asked anxiously.

"No, not at all Esme, everything is perfect," I assured her. "I just remembered that I still have to decide on what I'm going to wear tonight."

"Oh, well I'm sure whatever you decide on, Edward will think you look beautiful, so please don't worry." Her words comforted me, and I finished off my breakfast quickly as Esme looked on in approval. I had a feeling that she liked having a family member she could cook and care for like a regular human.

"Thanks Esme," I smiled as I darted back upstairs to rifle through my clothes.

I came up with three options: The first was one a top and skirt set from the Port Angeles Boutique. The top was sleeveless with a v neck and white, with a flowing chocolate skirt that swirled around my knees. The second was another top I had bought, this time in mint green, with sleeves, and some black pants. The last choice was the dress. It was a one-shoulder royal blue dress that hugged my figure and ended just above my knees. It was stylish enough for the day, but elegant enough for the evening, and the perfect choice for both shopping and the Orchestra. However, I also really liked the other choices, and I vacillated between them all as I lay them out on my bed. I bit my lip, worrying over which one Edward would like best. My agitation grew. My feet started tapping and me heart ran faster.

I heard a gentle knock on my door. "Bella? Are you all right?" Edward's gentle and concerned voice came through the door. "Your heart is racing."

Just hearing his voice calmed me, and I went over and let him in, not caring that he would see my clothing options. I just needed to see him. His handsome face lit up when he saw that I was fine and I relaxed further, reaching up to give him a soft kiss as I brought him further into my room. "Will you tell me what was wrong?" he asked softly, genuine concern in his gaze.

I sighed, suddenly feeling very silly. "I couldn't decide what to wear," I admitted, gesturing towards the choices on my bed. Edward looked over them all with an analytical, but confused gaze. "I know we've already been on a date, and that we already know that we love each other, and will be together for eternity, but this still feels important. This is our first big date, and I wanted to look good for you, but I couldn't decide which you'd like best," I explained, suddenly feeling very shy and out of place. I'd never had to worry about this before, since I'd never found a guy I was interested in.

Edward chuckled and I glared at his lack of sympathy towards my plight. "Bella, to me you would still look beautiful even in a garbage bag. You are so beautiful that it doesn't matter which of these outfits you wear I would barely notice because I'm always so focussed on you." My glare stopped abruptly at his sweet words.

"Thank you Edward, but could you please pick one for me so that I don't have to worry," I begged.

He grinned at me before pointing immediately to the blue dress. "I have to admit that I'm very partial to you in blue – it suits you so well," he murmured, his voice taking on a slightly husky tone and his eyes darkening.

I shivered as warmth shot through me. "Okay then, the dress it is," I agreed, thanking him with a quick kiss. I kicked him out after that, eager to get ready so that we could go. We had a lot of furniture to pick out before the orchestra.

I had a shower, blow dried my hair into shiny loose waves that fell down my back, and put on my dress and shoes. Picking up my purse and a black trench coat, I made my way downstairs. Edward was waiting for me at the bottom, and I nearly tripped when I first saw him. He was wearing a deep green long sleeved shirt, with the cuffs rolled up to his elbows and showing off his muscular forearms. It matched his eyes perfectly and my breath caught as I realised that this gorgeous man was mine. He was also wearing black pants and holding a black jacket for later in the evening.

I was quite pleased to see his eyes widen appreciatively as the roved over my form. "Bella, you are absolutely breathtaking," he said, awe saturating his voice. I had never felt more beautiful. Apparently seeing the dress on the bed, and on me, were two entirely different experiences.

When I finally reached Edward, allowing him to gently take my hand and bestow a soft, reverent kiss upon it, I realised that Esme and Carlisle were watching us, happy smiles on their faces. In Esme's hands was a camera. "Oh you two look perfect together," she gushed, coming over. "I just have to get some pictures of your first proper date together." I inwardly sighed, but smiled at her. If all this kind, gentle, caring woman wanted was a few photos, then I wasn't about to deny her after she had been so generous as to accept me into her family. We posed for a few before we were ushered out the door.

The drive to Seattle was quick in Edward's Vanquish. It was an overcast day, a little windy with a light drizzle – perfect for Edward. Once there, we began hitting all the stores in order to furnish my house. I was a little nervous as I had been thinking over an idea for the past day, and was ready to broach the subject with Edward. As we looked over couches, I tentatively started. "Edward?" he looked at me, questioningly. "Since we are mated and in love, maybe you could move in with me?" I asked, biting my lip nervously. I didn't know how normal people asked their other halves to live with them. I wondered if it was supposed to be this nerve-wracking. As Edward processed my request my mind raced through a plethora of doubts. Was I meant to make it more special? Take him to a special place and hand over a key maybe? I didn't know. "I'm sorry," I blurted out as Edward opened his mouth to respond. "I just wanted you to know when we picked out the furniture that it was ours, not just mine," I explained.

Edward walked over and gathered me in his arms. "Oh Bella, I would love to live with you, I was just surprised, since you seem to like being so independent," he explained.

"I don't like it, it's just the way I am after being alone for so long. I really do want you to move in with me – for the house to be ours, not just mine," I looked into his eyes, conveying my sincerity.

He looked relieved and happy, "I would be honoured to Bella. I have never lived away from Carlisle and Esme before, although I have gone on solitary travels and I had my rebellious period of course, but other than that, I've always stayed with them. I think I'm going to like this new experience." And with that, I relaxed, pleased that it had gone so well.

As we browsed the stores, placing orders on lounge suites, bedroom suites, mattresses, entertainment systems, tables, chairs, etc, we did so together, knowing that we would be sharing the house and its contents. When I tried to pay Edward stopped me. "No Bella," he said firmly. "If we are going to live together, then I should at least get to pay for the furnishings, since you paid for the house." I sighed, but agreed, I could see the logic behind his decision, and if circumstances had been reversed I would have done the same. It was wonderful, deciding on things together like a real couple.

It did took us most of the day to get through the list of things we needed, only stopping once for a small break so that I could get some lunch. We ended out productive day with a stop at the bookstore, where we picked out new books to add to what would soon be our merged collection. Often, we would pick out a book that the other already had, and would place it back with a smile, but eventually we had a stack of twenty new books that neither of us had read. I grinned as Edward paid for them, "I'm going to love living with you," he smiled at me, reaching down to grasp my hand, squeezing it gently.

Our evening was even better. We went to an early dinner at a wonderful French restaurant, where I indulged in some delicious food followed by a chocolate mousse that had me in ecstasy. What made my dessert even more enjoyable was that Edward watched every bite, eyes following my mouth and tongue as I licked the sweet chocolatey goodness from my spoon. I loved watching his eyes darken with desire, and couldn't help recalling some of my honeymoon dreams. I blushed, and Edward's eyes broke away from my lips to send me a questioning glance. I shook my head, refusing to tell him my thoughts. His amused glance let me know that he'd figured it out anyway.

After dinner we took a leisurely stroll down a few streets, holding hands and simply enjoying the other's presence until it was time to get to the orchestra. The huge hall the orchestra played in was beautifully decorated with ample seating. Edward led me past all the rows of seating and to a special door where a man checked our tickets before leading us through. We ended up sitting in special private box, very close to the stage, and with an unobstructed view of the whole orchestra. I grinned at Edward in excitement, eager to hear the music and see the talented musicians.

We didn't have to wait long before the musicians came out, warming up as the rest of the audience poured in. I sat back against Edward and sighed, melting into his side. "Are you happy my love?" he whispered in my ear as he tenderly brushed my hair from my face. I turned to look at him and nodded.

"I've haven't been this happy in a long time Edward," his eyes brightened and he softly kissed my forehead before we turned back to watch the stage.

As the lights dimmed, my excitement and anticipation increased to a fever pitch. The melody of the first song started softly. Tchaikovsky's symphony No.1; Winter Daydreams, was the first piece. As more musicians joined in and the melody developed I closed my eyes, leaned against Edward and allowed the music to wash over me. All I felt was emotions from the music, and Edward's arm around my shoulder, his hand gently stroking my arm.

I revelled in the experience, at times opening my eyes to watch the musicians in fascination as their playing went from animated to soft and back again. With Edward beside me, and wonderful music flowing around me, I was in heaven.

There were a few breaks in the night while the orchestra rested between the long symphonies, and Edward and I discussed the music. "I've always liked Tchaikovsky, but after seeing how much you enjoy it I've developed an ever stronger regard for it," he admitted. I smiled victoriously. He may not have admitted that Tchaikovsky was better than Debussy yet, but he would come round. I was far too interested in the music to argue with him about it tonight. Instead I sat back and enjoyed the music.

The orchestra ended with Serenade Melancolique, a gentle way to end the evening, listening to the soulful tones of the lead violin mixed with the orchestral instruments. Once they had finished and the applause dies down I hugged Edward, melting into his embrace. "Thank you Edward tonight was absolutely perfect," I sighed in happiness.

His eyes glowed with joy. "Yes it was love; I have never enjoyed a night more."

We spent the ride home happily reliving our music filled night.

Unfortunately, Monday came far too soon and Edward and I were once again off to school. During our absence Esme had promised to take Edward's things over to our house, ready to be unpacked that afternoon, once my stuff and all of our Seattle purchases arrived.

School was boring, with the only redeeming factor being that Edward was in all of my classes. He was very helpful in my maths class, since I had never had to do much with figures in my life. What on earth would I have needed to know pi for in the real world? I'll admit that sometimes his know-it-all attitude was frustrating, especially when I didn't get something, but I reminded myself that this was the fifth time he had been to school, so it would be pretty pathetic if he didn't know his maths by now. Luckily I caught on quickly, having a brain that processed things at a very high speed, and other than that, my day went well. I avoided the gossiping girls, and the only person other than Edward that I would voluntarily talk to was Angela, since she was nice, sweet and non-judgemental.

After school Edward and I headed over to our house, where Esme was already unpacking some of the furniture that had arrived. Just after we pulled into the garage another delivery truck arrived, this time bringing my stuff. There weren't too many boxes, and they were quickly unloaded.

Edward and I then headed inside and got to work. We worked efficiently, unpacking and setting up the furniture, ornaments, bed, rugs and TV first. By the time they were finished, Carlisle had joined us, helping to set up our stuff and unpacking Edward's boxes. Esme arranged all of our clothes in the wardrobe, and Edward and I made the bed, while Carlisle set up the entertainment systems. As I pulled different things from the boxes, I explained some of them to Edward. There were large framed photos of the most scenic parts of my islands; lagoons, waterfalls, reefs etc. There were also a few priceless paintings. A Monet, a few others that most people hadn't heard of, and Edgar Degas painting that still hurt to look at, bringing back some painful memories.

We eventually got down to the last box, a big one that simply said 'memories' on the top. As Edward went to open it, I placed a hand on his arm and stopped him. "Not yet," I said softly. I wasn't ready to face my past. In that box was all my photos of Alice, and I knew I wouldn't be able to look at them all without breaking down in tears. Edward's eyes searched my face for a moment before he nodded understandingly and placed the whole box, unopened, in the back of our closet. We would open that box together at a later stage.

I gave a sigh of satisfaction once everything was unpacked, our clothes on opposite sides of the wardrobe, our music, movies and books merged. It seemed like our lives were somehow more officially joined.

I still had dinner over at the Cullen house, since I still hadn't gotten round to stocking the kitchen, but after that we came home to our house, resting on the couch and watching a movie until I was sleepy. That night we slept together in our bed, our desire for each other, and our feelings over having our lives merged, finally breaking out. Before the night was over Edward had left me sated and fully pleasured. We were finally completely joined – a fully mated couple.

Edward and I quickly adapted to living in our own house, though we did visit Esme and Carlisle every day anyway. I finally filled up the kitchen, not wanting to be a burden on Esme any longer, though of course she assured me that I hadn't been.

By Thursday Edward and I were perfectly settled. I woke up that morning to find Edward propped up on the pillows, left arm around me as his right drew notes on a book of sheet music propped up on his knee. I craned my neck for a closer look but he shut the book abruptly, placing it on the bedside drawers. "What are you writing?" I asked, curiosity piqued.

"It's a surprise," he murmured, nuzzling my hair.

I sat up, allowing the comforter to fall off my bare chest, and enjoying the way Edward's eyes popped open. "Will you tell me?" I asked in my most alluring voice. He gulped, but shook his head. I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest and pouting. "I don't like surprises."

He chuckled and leaned in to kiss my pout away. This led to him distracting me in a pleasurable way until it was time to get ready for school. I sighed as I glanced at his closed music book, but decided to allow him to keep his surprise a secret for now.

My cars arrived that afternoon; the last of my things. As Edward and I watched my convertible blue Dodge Viper ACR-X being unloaded he whistled in appreciation. I smiled. "We'll take it for a drive later," I promised. He turned to me, eyes bright, and his facing looking like an eager young boy's when they got their first bike for Christmas. I thought it was adorable.

Edward's eyes widened even further when my precious road bike was unloaded. It was one of the only indulgent purchases I had really made in the last thirty years. It was a black Suzuki Hayabusa, which could hit nearly 250mph and was one of the fastest motorbikes in the world. I grinned playfully at him. "Care to take a ride on my bike as well?"

He nodded eagerly, his face betraying his excitement, his eyes looked back and forth between the bike and me as desire flooded his gaze. It made me hot just thinking about the fact that me on a bike made Edward horny. I had a feeling that before the night was over my bike and car might be well christened.

The last car to be unloaded wasn't mine. It had been Alice's. It was a 1960 Porsche 356B Super Roadster convertible in yellow. A present I had given her. It had suited her perfectly and she had adored it. I gulped as a wave of sadness crashed over me at the memories, but I had Edward now, so I subdued it and smiled at him sadly. "This was my sister's car," I explained. It was still in mint condition. I had taken good care of it, and it ran like a dream. It was now a valuable vintage, though I had brought it brand new.

Edward took a deep breath, brow furrowing in thought. "I can smell the faint scent of a vampire. It almost seems familiar, but it's too stale for me to really tell," he said.

I shrugged, "I would have remembered if my sister and I had run into you," he nodded and we dropped it. We thanked the delivery man and Edward helped me put the cars all away in the garage. We took my Hayabusa to the Cullen house, where even Carlisle drooled over it.

That night we did indeed christen my car and bike after taking them for drives. The speed and the wind whipping our faces invigorated and energized us, turning us into fierce and hungry creatures.

I barely got two hours of sleep that night.

Friday morning came far too soon, and I spent the day in a fit of nerves. Edward's siblings were arriving home sometime today, and I was praying that they'd like me. Edward tried to calm me. "You'll be fine, I'm sure they'll love you once they get to know you," and it helped a little. The end of the day came far too soon and it was time to meet Edward's siblings.

Edward sped home, eager to see his siblings again. His whole body was almost vibrating with energy. I smiled, happy for him and curious about meeting them all now that I had subdued some of my nerves. As we got within mind reading range of the house Edward broke into a large grin. "They're home," he announced, "and they're all waiting outside to meet you." Way to put the pressure on. I had given Esme and Carlisle permission to tell them about me before we arrived, though I knew I was now going to have to relate my entire story to them, including a past I was not proud of.

We rounded the last corner and as Edward screeched to a stop my eyes locked on a vampire I had never expected to see again. "Alice," I breathed, my eyes wide with shock. My sister was here. Alice; familiar short spiky black hair, eyes bright, and tiny figure vibrating with enthusiasm. I was out of the car and running for her in an instant. As I neared her I felt a presence come at me from the side. I whirled snarling as I crouched protectively in front of my long lost sister. In an instant I had flicked her up onto my back, as I had done some times in the past to keep her safe. Then I crouched in a fight stance, my deadly claws coming out. The threat, a scarred blonde vampire, stopped in his tracks, shocked, but still determined. "If you try to hurt my sister, I will end your life," I warned, deadly serious. I knew not how or why Alice was still alive, but I was not about the let her get hurt now. The vampire looked confused.

Suddenly Edward was between us. "Jasper, back down. Bella isn't going to hurt Alice – you can feel it." The scarred vampire cocked his head to the side and after a moment he nodded, though his eyes remained wary.

Alice had remained frozen on my back, but now she started to talk and I relaxed hearing her familiar musical voice. She hopped down off me and I let her, though I still kept an eye on the scarred blonde. "Hi, Bella isn't it?" She said in a friendly tone, her words confusing me. "Why do I feel like I know you- even being on your back felt so familiar," she murmured.

My eyebrows creased with confusion. "What do you mean Alice?" I demanded, "You're my sister!" I slid my claws away feeling lost. Why didn't my sister remember me?

* * *

What do you think?


	6. Chapter 6

Here you go- Bella and Alice's history! 

**Chapter 6**

The whole family was staring at me in shock. "Bella, you mean Alice is the sister you thought was dead for the last forty years?" Edward asked, seeming to piece everything together. I nodded numbly, still barely able to register the fact that my dear Alice didn't remember me. "Bella," he said gently, "Alice doesn't remember any of her life before 1964, when she woke up like this in the middle of a city," he explained.

I looked at Alice, shocked, "You can't remember any of your life from 1917 to 1964?" I asked as my mind flew through possibilities to explain her memory loss. There was only one possibility that came to mind.

Alice shook her head sadly, "No, but you do feel very familiar." That was something at least.

My jaw clenched. "They left you alone and with no memories in the middle of a city filled with humans!" I raged. "They must have hoped you would go on a rampage - the sick, sadistic B*st*rds! It is a good thing that they didn't know about your ability to see the future. At least that would have kept you from harm," I reasoned. My heart was breaking for Alice. She must have felt so lost and alone, with no knowledge past her own name. I looked down at her wrist, smiling softly as I saw that she was still wearing her bracelet, even after all these years. I reached for it slowly and Alice allowed me to. "You're still wearing it," I smiled gently. "This was a present I gave you for one of your birthdays." It was a delicate platinum bracelet with a small nameplate in the middle and rubies set along the chain. 'Alice' was engraved on the front.

"Thank you," Alice said. "This bracelet is the only reason I knew my name." My eyes stung with tears at that. The sister I had always tried to protect had come so close to losing not only her memories, but her identity.

Everyone had relaxed now, realising that no one was planning on a fight. I remembered what Edward had told me about his siblings, and that Jasper and Alice were mated and I realised that Jasper had been trying to protect Alice from me – a ludicrous idea, but I could understand it.

"Well," Carlisle broke in, "Perhaps we should go inside," he suggested. "Bella was planning on telling us her history today anyway, and it seems that we might learn about Alice's at the same time." I nodded. There wasn't much I could do but tell my sister of her past and attempt to rebuild our relationship from scratch.

"Wait Carlisle, how do we even know she's telling the truth," another voice piped up sceptically. I turned to the owner, sizing up the statuesque blonde model standing on the porch. That had to be Rosalie.

"Because I have plenty of proof that I can show you," I said. "The other side of Alice's bracelet says 'for my dearest sister – your Wolverine' because that was Alice's pet name for me," I explained as I went back to the car and got my wallet. I opened it, showing them the picture I kept there. It was of Alice and I in Disneyland in one of the first years it was opened. Edward hadn't seen it before because he insisted on paying for everything. Their eyes all analysed the picture, then looked back and forth between Alice and I. While our hair and stature was wildly different – Alice was barely five feet and a petite little pixie - our facial structures were inherited from our mother and were almost identical.

Carlisle nodded. "I can see the resemblance." Rosalie reluctantly nodded as well.

"Well it is wonderful that you are both reunited again," Esme broke in with a gentle smile. "I know Alice has always wondered about her past, why don't we all get more comfortable inside so that Bella can tell us her story."

We all moved to go inside, but I stopped. "Edward, would you mind coming with me to my house to get my box of photo albums. I think I should show everyone the photos while I tell my tale," Edward nodded and we quickly zipped over to my house, retrieved the box and came back. Anticipation and nerves were kicking in as I mulled over having to tell my story. My mind was also still registering the fact that the sister I thought was dead was actually alive, but missing her memories.

We were back at the house moments later, Edward carrying in a large box. I unpacked it as Esme properly introduced Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett. I handed out the large photo and scrapbooking albums that Alice had filled over the years we had been together. They contained many of our travels and adventures. The earliest photos were small sienna snapshots taken with old style cameras, gradually moving to more modern photos.

I took a deep breath as I settled on the sofa on Edward's lap and next to Alice and Jasper. Quietly I handed Alice her birth certificate and other documents, to look over while I talked about my own life.

"I was born in 1898 in Jackson, Mississippi to Renee and Charlie Swan." Alice frowned as she looked at her birth certificate and I had to remind myself that she didn't remember anything. "I know you've noticed that your father is different to mine Alice," I said gently. "I'll explain that later." She nodded and I continued on with my story.

"I had a brother, Victor, who was a couple of years older than me. We had a fairly nice home, I didn't know it at the time, but the reason Charlie made a lot of money was because he dealt in black market items, and a lot of their money went on doctor's fees as I was often sick." Esme and Edward frowned at that. "When I was twelve I heard my parents fighting, and I went downstairs to find my father beating my mother over spending so much money on me. I got angry and before I knew what had happened, these claws had come out and I had stabbed my father," even after all these years the guilt was still there. I flexed my claws so that they could see. Esme and Carlisle may have informed everyone about my particular talents, but hearing about it and seeing it were two very different things. Their eyes widened as they took in the curved metal. "I was so shocked. Even more surprising was that when I automatically retracted them, the skin healed immediately," again I demonstrated by retracting my claws. They watched in morbid fascination as the six gashes between my knuckles healed. "They used to be just bone though; they weren't always coated in metal." I could tell that they wanted to ask, but I continued on with my story, I would get to that point later.

"My brother Victor grabbed me as my father died and we ran away into the night. Unbeknownst to me, Victor was also a mutant. Like me, he could regenerate, although his was not as fast as mine. Instead of claws though, his nails grew out long and sharp when needed. However, he always had far more bloodlust than I did," I said, watching as Alice looked at me, questions overflowing in her eyes. "We travelled around, surviving by stealing and such until I was sixteen and World War One started. I cut my hair and my brother and I joined the army. With our regenerative ability and natural predatory instincts it seemed like the perfect honest job for us.

"Once I turned eighteen, my regeneration got to the point where I stopped aging. Victor's didn't stop until he was about thirty.

"We fought a lot in the war, and I killed a lot of people," I looked down, ashamed, but Edward hugged me tightly, and I bravely carried on. "Near the end of it Victor and I met a man called Stryker. He was formulating a special team of mutants, and Victor and I joined. We were given the choice over rotting in a prison or joining them, since a firing squad hadn't been able to kill us." Edward tensed at this, no doubt envisioning the terrifying thought of me standing in front of a whole row of firing weapons. To be honest, it had barely tickled to have that many bullets hit me.

"Victor and I travelled with them for a while, not understanding why Stryker was looking for specific meteorites, but smart enough to know not to question him. However, I couldn't stomach their blatant disregard for human life, and the way they would kill anyone who was in the way of what they wanted. When they killed an innocent pregnant mother in a village because she could not answer their questions, I left.

"They found me less than a year later, catching me and putting me in a tank, where they fused adamantium to my bones – an incredibly painful process. It turned out that the meteorites they had been looking for contained the adamantium, a metal that, once set, was literally unbreakable. They wanted to turn me into the ultimate weapon.

"I nearly died there, but my regeneration kicked in to the extreme and I survived. While still in the tank I heard Stryker and Victor plotting to erase my memories," here Alice's head shot up, but I continued, knowing my story would answer most of her questions anyway. "I revolted, managing to escape thanks to my newfound strength. That was in 1920."

I paused here and took a deep breath, knowing that I was about to tell Alice's part of my story. "I remained hidden and undetected for the next decade, always on the run and constantly looking over my shoulder. But when nobody had found me after a decade, I relaxed a little and went looking to find out what had become of my mother after we had left. I found that she had moved to Biloxi and remarried. After breaking into her house one day and looking over everything, I was shocked to find that I had a sister – Mary Alice Brandon. Even more surprising was where you were," I looked over at Alice, hesitant to break this sad part of the story to her.

"You were a mutant as well – one that could see the future, and Renee and her new husband Phil, were scared of it. They put you in a mental asylum," Alice's face froze with sadness, and Jasper anxiously rubbed her arms in an effort to soothe her. "By the time I found out, you were seventeen and had already been in the asylum for five years. I went looking for you immediately, determined to break you out. I found documents around the house that told me the name of the asylum and I went there immediately. Unfortunately, I was too late. In the alleyway before I reached the asylum I heard screaming, and I went to investigate. I found you writhing on the ground in pain, and a man standing over you. As I approached he ran off so quickly that I knew there was something strange about him. I didn't get a good look though since I was concentrating on you. I recognised you immediately from the few pictures Renee had had of you, but I had no idea what had made you scream in pain. At that time I had no idea that vampires existed. All I saw was a wound on her wrist, covered in blood, but I knew that would not be enough to make you scream so loudly."

I shivered as I relived that part of my past again. It was never easy to remember the pain my sister had gone through. "I knew I couldn't take you to a hospital because they would find out who you were and readmit you, so I picked you up and took you to my home – a one day drive away in the forest on the outskirts of Memphis. It backed onto a national park and was secluded. There I tried to care for you, noticing that your skin had hardened, and when the sunlight streamed into the room your skin sparkled," I shook my head, still remembering the wonder I had felt when I had first seen it. "You kept screaming that you were burning, so I put you in an ice bath that seemed to help a little.

"After two more days you finally stopped screaming and woke up. I was shocked to find that your eyes were bright red. What stunned me even further though was your immediate reaction to me. You leapt off the bed and latched onto my wrist. It took me a moment to realise that you were drinking my blood, trying to suck me dry." Alice looked shocked and apologetic, but I smiled and shrugged at her. "As you can see, my regeneration means that it wasn't possible to drain me. It was while you were drinking my blood that I suddenly realised what you had to be. Obviously you didn't burn in the sun, but you did drink blood, so I figured that that was a pretty good indicator that you were a vampire. I was surprised again when, once you had finally finished drinking, you looked up and had purple eyes – a mix of the red with your natural blue eyes.

"You freaked out of course, horrified that you had drunk my blood, but I managed to get you to calm down and I explained that I was your half-sister. Together we learnt more about vampires, and you gained control of your thirst. We told each other our pasts. You'd scared Renee with your ability to see the future, and, after already having two previous mutant children, she couldn't handle another one. The five years in the asylum were hardest for you to recall because you had been constantly in the dark. You remembered a kind man in the asylum with golden eyes that had taken care of you, but not much else." My fingers still clenched with anger at my dear sister being treated so badly, even though I'd had over seventy years to come to terms with it. Jasper growled at this new information, while Alice looked devastated.

"I let you drink from me every day for the first few months, and slowly you started to gain control of your bloodlust. We found that you could also drink from animals, and, since you were around me and my tempting scent all the time, you quickly got better control. Within six months we reintroduced you to being around people, and after about a year you could walk comfortably through a crowd of humans." I smiled proudly. Alice had fought hard against her bloodlust and eventually overcome it.

"Your gift for seeing the future carried over to your vampire life, although, for some reason, we thought it might be due to the adamantium, you had trouble when trying to see me. It took about a year of being constantly around me before you began to properly see me in your visions, although you got pretty good at seeing around me and recognising the blind-spot I gave you." Alice looked annoyed at the thought of not being able to see me, but then she cocked her head and nodded.

"I can't see you right now," she admitted. "When I look at our near future there is a blurry spot above Edward though."

I grinned, "That would be me. In time you'll begin to see more," it seemed that she would once again have to get used to me. She huffed impatiently and I smiled.

"Your talents came in very useful in investing in the stock market. I had quite a lot of savings from working and from the war, and we invested it, making a mint." I smiled fondly at her here, "That's when you discovered your passion for shopping and for dressing me," Alice grinned and the rest of the room chuckled softly, apparently Alice hadn't changed one bit.

"After a couple of years we went back to Biloxi to find out more about the asylum and our mother. We had read the newspapers announcing the deaths of Renee and Phil Brandon in a freak accident where a car had hit them on a main street. I also wanted to know who the man had been who changed Alice into a vampire. However, we didn't find out much. We did find Alice's records of admittance to the asylum, and we broke into Renee's house again, which had been left pretty much as it was. We took all of the documents and photos relating to us, as well as some of our mother and Alice's father." I stopped and handed her the old photos, pointing out our mother, who had the same face as us and long black hair. Alice analysed it, looking at her features and the similarities before passing it on to Jasper. She then looked through ones of her father.

"For the next thirty years we lived together happily, moving every four or five years to a new location. We continued to invest our money, making billions, much of which was spent on clothes, houses and nice cars. That was when I developed my love for motorbikes. You used to ride with me all the time." I sighed nostalgically, remembering the fun we used to have speeding around on my bike with the wind whipping in our faces.

"We figured out that your eyes would stay gold on a diet of animal blood, which was nowhere near as satisfying as mine, but on my blood your eyes would go back to their normal blue. We had no idea why though.

"Eventually a nomadic vampire called Justin happened upon us. He thought I was human, and your pet," I rolled my eyes at that. "He told us a lot about vampires, including about the Volturi, how a vampire could be killed, and the mating bond. He tried to convince you that he was your mate, but you didn't feel that way about him and saw through his plans." Jasper growled, clutching Alice protectively. "You refused him and he didn't take kindly. He tried to grab me to use as leverage and I shredded him and burnt the pieces." This time my tone was unapologetic. I would never apologise for keeping Alice safe. A new light of respect dawned in Jasper's eyes.

"We met a few other vampires over the years, and whenever you saw them coming you would change to a diet of animal blood since it was easier to explain gold eyes than blue. Most just said hello and passed on through. They all had red eyes, and though some of them invited you to join, neither of us would consider a coven of animal drinkers. We didn't let any of them know about your gift after what happened with Justin. However, one coven of three found out because you moved just before a tree branch broke off and landed where you had been standing. They tried to take you by force, thinking that if they had you, they would be unstoppable, but I killed them all too." The family seemed a little stunned as I told them that I had taken on three vampires at once while guarding Alice, and come out on top. Edward's arms were so tight they were almost constricting and I knew he didn't like the idea of me fighting.

"It was a coven of five that nearly ended us though. They were a pair of twin brothers, who had been changed at the same time. Jack and James, and their mates Helena and Victoria, respectively, and another vampire called Laurent." My jaw clenched just thinking about them. We found out that Jack was the one who had changed you. He could sense powers, and he and James were power hungry. James was a tracker, and they wanted more gifted vampires to join them. They harboured delusions of eventually taking over from the Volturi, and you were a key factor in that. When I had found you in the alley, Jack had taken off, figuring I was just a normal human who would get scared and run. He had planned to come back and pick you up once he was done killing a vampire in the asylum who had been protecting you from the brothers for the past few weeks – the kind golden-eyed man. They had finally managed to steal you away and change you though.

"They had come back from dealing with the vampire to find you gone, and in our absence it had started to rain, making tracking much harder. Since I had gotten into a car, tracking had been pretty impossible. Jack told us this after his and James' attempt to nicely convince you to join failed. They were angry and eventually it escalated until Jack and Helena grabbed me and told you that if you didn't join they would bite me, wait for me to go through two days of painful transformation, and then kill me. Not the happiest of thoughts. I killed them, and then fought the other three with you on my back. You managed to get an arm ripped off anyway, but eventually they escaped thanks to Victoria's gift of evasion and escape. We let them go, and your arm reattached quickly after youdrunk from me. We never saw James, Victoria or Laurent again, though you did keep an eye out for them.

"Besides those encounters, we were very happy and enjoyed ourselves," I pointed out my favourite photos of us in the albums, including ones of us on our islands, and in Disneyland, describing the experiences to her. "Unfortunately, I grew complacent as over thirty years passed, all but forgetting about Stryker and Victor and my past. Stryker had taken some of my blood, and transfusions of it at regular intervals had kept him from aging too far. Instead of being an old man, who had aged forty years, he only looked to be about forty-five. My brother hadn't aged a day over thirty.

"It was 1964, and I had been in Paris, picking up your birthday gift. You had called, ecstatic over some new visions. You had seen your mate, and once I got home we were going to find him. You had also seen a family of animal drinking vampires, that we were going to eventually join, but you didn't tell me details, eager to surprise me." I smiled as I looked around the room at the surprised faces. If all had gone to plan, Alice and I would have been together when we found Jasper and then the Cullens. "I was so happy for you, and I rushed home once your present was complete. I still have your present," I said sadly, "It is an impressionistic Edgar Degas painting, _Stage Rehearsal,_ It is a painting of ballet dancers and you loved it when we were in France, it reminded you of the ballet we had been to see. I had finally managed to get the owner to sell it to me and I was over there to pick it up, since it was such a special birthday gift," I said sadly. If I had stayed at home, Alice would have been safe and wouldn't have lost her memory.

My throat tightened as the next part of my tale came. "You must have been distracted with your new visions, because it looked like you hadn't seen anyone coming. I arrived home to find ashes that I thought were yours and a note from Victor. My own brother had claimed to have killed you. Somehow they knew about vampires, hardly surprising considering all the other supernatural things they knew about." Everyone's faces were drawn, and Esme looked like she would be crying if it were possible. "I immediately went after them for vengeance, finding a few allies along the way. I discovered a facility where Stryker was holding a number of mutants, doing experiments on them and trying to graft their talents into a single mutant – one that would be even stronger than me. Victor was working for him in the hopes of being allowed to undergo the same adamantium grafting process as me, to make him indestructible. I had been the guinea pig, but Stryker was putting Victor off, since I had nearly died and he didn't think Victor would survive the process. He was far more valuable alive as Stryker's henchman.

"I was after blood and I fought them all, nearly dying in the process and destroying Stryker's island where everyone was held. I released all the captured mutants and they escaped while I took care of Stryker and those working for him. Stryker had a gun that fired adamantium bullets, and he tried to shoot me in the head to erase my memories, but I managed to kill him first." Here I stopped and looked over at Alice, who was sitting, wide-eyed as she listened to my tale. "My last hopes had been that somehow they hadn't killed you, and you had been locked up on the island with the others, but you weren't there and I accepted that you were dead. I had thought that if you had simply been kidnapped, that you would have escaped and found your way back by then, and you hadn't." I said sadly.

"There was a bullet missing from the gun, and I realise now that they must have used the missing adamantium bullet on you. Adamantium is the only thing I have ever seen that can pierce vampire skin. A bullet through the head would have erased your memories, and while your venom would have healed your body, it wouldn't have been able to repair your memories." I was so angry at the thought of how they had treated Alice that I wanted to hunt them down again, but I couldn't because they were already dead.

"So after I had avenged you, I wondered around aimlessly for a while, not really sure what I was doing anymore, and then I decided to come here. You had made me promise early on that if anything happened to either of us, the other would continue to enjoy life as much as possible. I thought starting fresh in a small town and trying out school would be an interesting idea, and it turned out to be one of the best ideas I ever had." I finished my tale and carefully watched for their reactions.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Before I knew what had hit me, Alice hugged me hard, pulling me up from Edward's arms. "Oh Bella, I'm so happy that I've found a relative. I can't believe after all this time, and all the wondering I did about my past life that I've found a real sister. And you're Edward's mate too!" I smiled as she bubbled over with excitement and happiness. She may have lost her memories, but she was still the same Alice.

Jasper smiled gently at me once Alice released me. "Thank you for taking care of her, if you hadn't, she might never have found me."

"Believe me Jasper, caring for her was no hardship – she's my sister." We both looked at her fondly while she beamed at us. She was bouncing on the spot in excitement. "Oh Bella, we're going to have so much fun making up for the last forty years! We'll have to go shopping in Seattle tomorrow. Obviously you've let yourself go over the years, because I would never let you wear that," she looked at my shirt disdainfully. It was a simple sky blue t-shirt I had picked up for a couple of dollars because it looked comfortable, and it was. However, it was in no way stylish or designer. I sighed. I was happy to have her back, and I supposed a shopping trip was definitely in order. It wasn't like I'd had much of an incentive to shop while Alice was gone.

"Okay Alice," I was resigned to my fate.

"Excellent!" she was now eyeing me up in a familiar way that told me she was envisioning different options to dress me in. Edward chuckled behind me, and I turned to give him a mock glare. I may not like shopping, but the idea of spending time with my long lost sister made it far more appealing than usual.

The rest of the night was spent catching up, hearing about their latest trip, and them relating a little bit more about themselves. Emmett seamed to easily accept me into the family, joking and smiling, while Rosalie still seemed a little stand-offish. I wasn't too worried, she wasn't glaring suspiciously at me anymore, so I figured that it was a step in the right direction. Throughout it all Edward was beside me, happy for me, and understanding of my past.

We stayed up all night chatting, stopping only for my dinner, and I forwent my sleep that night, just happy to watch Alice, afraid that if my gaze left her for a moment she would disappear. Jasper seemed to understand and smiled gently at me every now and then. I could see how much he loved her, and I was so happy that she had succeeded in finding her mate and a family. Through it all Edward held me close, wordlessly sharing in my pleasure at finding my sister alive and happy.

The next morning, as soon as it was light, I eagerly dragged Alice over to Edward's and my, house. I showed her around, pointing out photos of our islands, while the rest of the family followed along behind. "Oh Bella, we simply have to visit them again. They look so beautiful," Alice sighed wistfully, "I wish I could remember."

"Don't worry, we can make plenty of new memories there," I reassured her.

When we came to the painting, the birthday present Alice had never gotten, I took it off the wall. "Happy belated birthday," is said softly. She scanned the painting intently, a wide smile breaking out on her face before she handed it to Jasper and hugged me tightly. "Oh Bella, thank you, it's wonderful."

I beamed back, so pleased that she had liked it. "You're welcome. I'm only sorry that it's taken forty years for you to get it."

Alice rifled through my closet of course, chucking out some of my comfier clothes, and nodding approvingly at others. "We're gonna need to do a lot of work," she muttered to herself. A slight whisper of trepidation passed though me. I knew what my little dynamo sister was like when it came to shopping, and my fear was warranted.

There was one last thing I wanted to show her. "Come on Alice, one last thing," I said, eagerly taking her hand and pulling her out to my garage. I flicked the light switch and ushered her inside through the side door. She gasped when she saw her cute yellow 1960 Porsche 356B Super Roadster convertible. "That's your car," I told her proudly, watching as she eyed it with delight.

"Oh, it's perfect!" she ran her hands lovingly over the lines of it. The rest of the Cullens also admired it.

Emmett chuckled, "It suits you wonderfully Alice. I couldn't imagine a more appropriate car for you." The others agreed.

"That's why I brought it for her in the first place," I informed them. "It was another of my birthday gifts to her." You accumulated a lot of birthday gifts when you were immortal. I plucked the keys off a hook by the door and tossed them to Alice. "She's all yours now Al," I grinned and she beamed back.

"Oh, I can't wait to take her for a drive!"

"Well she's ready to go – I've kept her in working condition over the years, even taken her out for a drive on occasion to make sure she ran well," I explained. "You can go right now." I pressed a button on the wall to get the garage doors to open.

I noticed Rosalie slip past me to eye up my Viper. The others hadn't even noticed it yet, they were so busy staring at Alice and her car. "See something you like Rosalie?" I asked casually. She nodded, a small smile actually adorning her face. It seemed she liked fast cars.

"This one is yours?" she asked.

I grinned, "Yep, so are the two bikes," I indicated my Harley and Suzuki Hayabusa bikes in the next car bay. Behind them sat Edward's Vanquish and Volvo. The others took notice after that, and they were all soon admiring my whole collection. Jasper was looking at my Hayabusa with covetous eyes, while Rosalie looked like she wanted to steal my Viper.

"Come on, Come on! Alice called, hopping over the side of her classic car. "Let's go!" she urged us. "I can test drive it while we head to Seattle to shop."

I chuckled. I should have known she would find a way of combining her eagerness to drive the car with her love of shopping. "There's only two seats Ali, so I'll have to take my Viper as well." Rosalie lit up at that.

The guys looked a little disappointed. "I guess we'll see you late this afternoon," Edward sighed. I nodded. He obviously knew Alice's habits when it came to shopping.

I kissed him quickly. "I'll be home before you know it." He looked resigned, gently kissing my forehead before letting me go.

We were soon heading out of Forks, Alice and Esme in her Porsche, and Rosalie and I in my Viper. It was overcast, but not raining, so we had the tops down and the wind whipping through our hair.

Alice loved relearning her car, patting the dash fondly from time to time. She almost seemed disappointed when we pulled into the shopping centre in Seattle. But her spirits lifted as soon as we got inside and she spotted the stores.

It seemed that my memory was a little faulty, because I couldn't remember shopping ever being so tiring. Either my perfect photographic memory was failing, at least in regards to memories of past shopping trips with Alice, or my little dynamo of a sister really was trying to make up for lost time. I was lucky I even got a few doughnuts at lunchtime before Alice grabbed me and shoved me into more shops. She had seen my wardrobe, and it seemed she had decided to fill the entire thing in one day. Rosalie threw herself into it as well, while Esme was a little quieter, content for the most part to watch as we shopped.

"So Bella, how is Edward in bed?" Alice asked with a sly smile. As I modelled a pretty emerald greed dress.

My jaw dropped. "Alice!" I hissed, looking around the store to make sure no strangers had overheard her. Luckily nobody was near.

"What?" she asked innocently. "Rose and I want to know. He's always been so timid about that sort of thing. Besides, don't sisters talk about their guys and share details?"

I groaned, but I couldn't help the large, satisfied grin that spread over my face when I remembered my nights with Edward. Alice spotted it immediately. "So he is good! I suppose he's seen a lot with his mind-reading though – you're bound to pick up a few tricks after so many years, though all the theory in the world doesn't make up for hands on experience." She winked knowingly at me as my cheeks reddened.

"That's it! We aren't getting into this Alice. Yes he is excellent, and that is all you need to know," I said firmly. I was bright red at this point and I couldn't believe that Esme had actually looked interested in the conversation.

She huffed, "Fine, but I would have been happy to compare details with you about Jasper," she offered.

"No thanks," I said dryly. They eventually let it go.

As we shopped I changed the subject, regaling Rosalie, Esme and Alice with some stories of Alice's and my more adventurous shopping trips. "Milan fashion week in 1960, Alice got really aggressive when she wanted the dresses straight off the models and the designer wouldn't give them to her," I told them with a smile. "She marched right up to the designer, shoved the wad of money in his open mouth, then turned and told the three models to hurry up and hand over her dresses."

Rosalie snickered, and Alice shrugged, "They were obviously good dresses, and he shouldn't have dared to try and deny me."

I grinned, "They were nice," I admitted, "I think we have pictures of them in a photo album at our New York penthouse."

"We have a penthouse in New York?" she asked enthusiastically.

"Yep, in fact we should probably visit, since there are a lot more photos there of us. Maybe for fashion week?" I offered.

Her eyes sparkled in delight at the idea. "Oh that would be perfect! I can't wait!"

"In fact, on the school holidays maybe we could take a trip around to a few of our properties- we have ten all over the world, plus the islands, and they are all furnished- in fact, you did most of the furnishing," I informed her as she broke out in a large smile.

"I can't wait!" I grinned in response. I really wanted to show Alice her past. We continued to make a few plans as we powered through the stores, ending up heaped with bags. As much as I loved Alice, I was quickly remembering why I hadn't shopped much in the last forty years. Shopping was exhausting, and I would much rather spend time at home with Alice and Edward than trying on different outfits. The only thing that made shopping bearable was Alice's bright and enthusiastic attitude.

When we finally left, much to my relief, it was late in the afternoon, and our bags barely fit in the small amount of storage space both cars had. In fact, Rosalie and Esme ended up holding a few on their laps.

I dropped Rosalie and her stuff with Alice and Esme at the Cullen house before assuring Alice that I was perfectly able to hang up my own clothes and that she could come over tomorrow. When Carlisle had informed me that Edward was waiting at home I was eager to leave. "Bye guys," I called as I zoomed out of their driveway and sped home to Edward. It was a nice feeling to be coming home to my wonderful man.

As I pulled into the garage Edward appeared a broad smile on his face. I hopped out and leapt into his arms, so happy to be back in his embrace. "Welcome home, love," he murmured before capturing my lips in a searing kiss that left me in no doubt of how much he had missed me.

"Mmm, I love you," I told him when we eventually parted, me gasping for air.

"Let's get your things inside," he offered, putting me down. "I bet Alice has loaded you with clothes."

I chuckled, "She sure has. I think she made it her mission today to try and fill the entire closet in one go." He whistled as he saw the bags piled up in the car, leaning in to scoop up a heap. I followed him into the house and up to our room with my own armload.

Together we pulled them out and hung them up, Edward whistling with approval at my lingerie purchases, golden eyes darkening with lust. I licked my lips and thought that there was a high possibility of a little action, but Edward controlled himself. "Not yet love, I made you dinner, and I bet our little sister didn't let you eat much today," he said as he grabbed my hand and took me downstairs.

My eyes widened when I spotted the dining table. It was set with candles, and a vase of deep purple and red roses, to symbolise enchantment, and love. Edward pulled out my chair for me and once I was settled he zipped into the kitchen, reappearing with a large plate of perfectly cooked filet mignon. I dug in eagerly, the tantalising smell reminding me of how hungry I was. Edward watched happily from the chair next to me, a pleased look on his face as he saw how much I enjoyed his cooking.

When I had cleared the plate I looked up at Edward. "Edward that was delicious – one of the best meals I have ever had. Thank you."

"Believe me love, learning how to cook for you is more gratifying than I could imagine," he replied. "In fact, I even made you a chocolate cake for dessert."

He looked so pleased with himself as he raced into the kitchen and came back out with a chocolate cake. I sat back and smiled as he cut me a large slice, sliding it onto a plate and towards me. Anticipation high, I took a large spoonful of the moist, dark cake and slid it into my mouth. Almost immediately I spat it back out, coughing hard. Edward's anticipatory look dropped in dejection. "What's wrong?" he asked anxiously.

I winced and took a large gulp of water. "Baby, did you use salt instead of sugar?" I asked, trying to get out the strong flavour I had in my mouth.

Edward frowned, "I don't know. It was the white granules in the clear plastic container, everything smelled horrible, so I didn't breath while I was cooking."

I closed my eyes and sighed. "Both the salt and the sugar are in clear plastic containers. The difference is that the salt is in a smaller container and is used to fill up the salt shakers," I explained.

"Oh," his eyes widened at the realisation. "Love, I'm so sorry." He looked so disheartened that his dessert plans had been ruined.

"Hey," I cupped his cheek gently, "it's all right. Dinner was perfect Edward, and anyone who has never cooked before could have made the same mistake when baking, especially when you wouldn't have tried to lick the bowl like most people do," I tried to soothe him, but he still looked guilty.

That night Edward seemed determined to make up for his cooking failure by proving his prowess in the bedroom. And prove it he did. I discovered just how talented every part of Edward was, multiple times. I conveniently forgot to remind him that he was already forgiven until it was morning and I was just drifting off into an exhausted sleep. "You know I forgave you for the cake immediately," I murmured, "But you've more than made up for it anyway." He chuckled as I drifted off, wrapped happily in his arms.

The next morning Alice and Jasper arrived while I was finishing my French toast. Alice immediately dragged me up stairs to survey my now almost full closet, nodding in satisfaction. "We still need to add more things, but this should tide you over for now," she said happily. I sighed, but nodded in agreement. "Come on then, everyone wants to know more about you," she urged, practically dragging me back down the stairs.

We ran back though the forest to the Cullen house. I hitched a ride on Edward's back, since I didn't like running right after eating. Every greeted me with huge, welcoming smiles as we entered the house, and I had never felt more loved, and like I belonged.

I spent much of the morning in Edward's lap, getting to know the others better. Eventually they all slowly disappeared to hunt and give us some privacy, and Edward led me over to the piano. I smiled in delight. "You're going to play for me?"

"Yes," his eyes were alight with happiness as I sat beside him. "I was only waiting until I had my new composition perfected," he explained. "This one is for you. It's called, Bella's Lullaby," he murmured.

Tears traitorously sprung in my eyes at his words. I was awestruck that he had written me a song. I composed myself as his fingers hit the first keys, determined not to miss one note. It was amazing to see his talented fingers masterfully stroke the keys and bring the melody to life. The song itself was so sweet and beautiful that by the end I was silently crying. The whole song was saturated with love, and Edward's feelings for me. "Oh Edward," I breathed when he finished. "I love you so much. That was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard."

He smiled, gently wiping away my tears. "Bella, I have never loved anyone with way I will love you for eternity. You are my life, the very reason I exist, and the most important thing in my world. Will you marry me?"

There was only one answer I could give, and I didn't even have to think about it. "Yes!" I cried.

He kissed me immediately, crushing his lips feverishly against mine. I poured my feelings of happiness and love into the kiss and he reciprocated in full. When we eventually pulled back I felt him slide a cool metal band into place on my finger. I looked down. The ring was beautiful, a delicate gold web of sparkling diamonds. "Oh," I breathed, unable to come up with any words.

"It was my mother's," he said softly. "It fits like it was made for you," he looked positively jubilant at the thought. I admired it further, and I could see that Edward was pleased by how much I adored my engagement ring.

Edward began playing again, and I recognised the soft melody of Clair de Lune. I grinned. "Still trying to convert me to Debussy?" I asked.

"You can hardly deny that this is a great song," he replied.

"It is, but I still maintain that Tchaikovsky is better." My stubbornness was pretty well ingrained at this point.

He sighed and when the song finished he started on a piano concerto by Tchaikovsky. I leaned my head onto his shoulder, closed my eyes and just listened to the music, allowing myself to dream of the happy future I now faced with Edward.

When it slowed to an end, Edward immediately transferred into the upbeat rhythm of Baby Elephant Walk. I laughed in delight. "This is one of my favourites!"

"I know," he grinned, eyes sparkling mischievously. "I figured that out when I moved in and we went through your music," he explained. I was impressed that he'd taken the time to remember them all- there was a lot of music that we had gone through. It was nice to know that he took notice of even the little things. I smiled as I listened to him play some more.

After a while we stopped and the whole family congregated around us, eager to offer their congratulations. Alice was bouncing with excitement, eyes sparkling as she smiled widely. "Bella! Oh I can't wait for the wedding! What kind of dress do you want? Ooh we can have a cake - we've never had one at our other weddings! Where do you want it held? We could do a destination wedding on one of our islands? Or maybe you'd prefer a traditional church? The Notre Dame Basilica in Canada would be perfect! And we should fly over to Paris before the wedding to shop! They have the best lingerie." Out if the corner of my eye I saw Edward perk up at that.

I broke in then as she paused for a millisecond to take a breath. "Alice, calm down. I haven't really thought about too many of the details yet," I admitted, "but I kind of want our honeymoon to be on Isle Swift, so I was thinking that we could have the actual wedding somewhere else," I looked up at Edward to find out his feelings on the subject.

He beamed at me, "Whatever you want, Love. My only requirement is you, everything else is secondary." My heart melted. My fiancé was the sweetest vampire. The rest of the afternoon was spent with me being overwhelmed at the sheer possibilities I could have for my wedding, and Alice getting out wedding albums for the other Cullens' multiple weddings. I have to admit that I spent more time ogling Edward in a tuxedo in the photos than actually taking in the rest of the wedding details.

That night Edward made love to me sweetly, reverently worshipping every part of me and seeming to revel in the fact that we would soon be married. I soaked it all in, so unbelievably happy that I finally had not only my sister back, but a mate and a family as well.

* * *

Thank you guys for all the great comments so far, i'm glad you're all enjoying it!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

I had never been happier in my life than I was for the weeks that followed my engagement to Edward. Alice and I were reconnecting, and I was happy to hear her relate more of her own history since she lost her memories. It made me happy to know that her visions had guided her to Jasper and the Cullens, and that she'd lived happily over the years. She was also eager for every detail I could relate about her that she couldn't remember, and much of the time we were not in school was spent together, reuniting and describing past experiences in as much detail as possible. Edward and Jasper seemed to understand how much we needed to re-bond after so long, although we never forgot to spend time with our mates as well.

Edward, well, he was my entire world, and our love seemed to grow stronger every day. Many times I would find myself just staring in wonder at the man I was going to marry. At school people talked, especially when they noticed my ring and word got around that I was engaged to Edward Cullen. There were many different stories spread about why, the main one being that I was pregnant, something that made me a little sad, since I could never give Edward children, my body not ovulating at all. The other rumours were that I had known the Cullens before arriving in Forks, and had already been secretly engaged to Edward on the first day, followed by more outrageous speculations that I stopped listening to. My family knew the truth behind our special bond and I didn't care what the school thought.

School was interesting for me, having never had the chance to go to high school before. I loved English classes and reading classic books, but I hated Trigonometry. I had lived for over a hundred years without needing to know what pi was, so how useful could 3.14 really be? Edward was my patient teacher for things that I did not understand, and helped me out a lot.

I was also surprised by the amount of backstabbing and pettiness of the teenagers in the school, having never been near such behaviour before. It was appalling. Even worse was the amount of whispers about the rest of the Cullen family as they returned to school. I could tell that a lot of it stemmed from jealousy because they were richer and better looking, but for the teenagers to make up lies about the family, such as Emmett being on steroids, Rosalie having plastic surgery, and Alice and Jasper having mental disorders, was downright mean, especially since they had never even talked to the Cullens before. Nevertheless, I got over it and learnt to ignore them as thoroughly as the rest of my family.

Much to my surprise and delight, Edward bought labelled containers for all the food and set about learning to cook like a gourmet chef. I was always eager to try his creations, and since the chocolate cake fiasco Edward has consistently cooked the most delicious, mouth-watering foods. I also had a major sweet tooth, which Edward knew about, and he was always making me decadent desserts, everything from profiteroles to Kentucky Derby pie. Every now and then I half-heartedly protested and told Edward that I could cook for myself, feeling guilty that he didn't even like the smell of the foods he cooked for me, but he always waved me off. Edward loved to spoil me. In return, I liked to offer Edward his own dessert of my blood. It was only fair that he got to sample his excellent cooking the only way he could – through me. According to Edward, there were subtle flavour differences in my blood depending on what I had eaten. My blood was slightly saltier if I had been eating savoury, and sweeter after desserts. Because of this, combined with my love of chocolate, Edward kept a constant supply of my favourite chocolate - Valrhona. It was the smoothest, creamiest, most delicious food ever, and I could never help my sigh of ecstasy as it melted on my tongue, delighting my tastebuds. Edward loved to watch me eat my precious chocolate, after which he would have his own dessert of my blood.

Drinking my blood was a very sensual experience for both of us, and often led to dessert of another kind. It was lucky that I never needed much sleep, for now that I had my soul mate, sleep was the last thing on my mind at night, although Edward loved to watch me sleep, listening eagerly for my sleep talking, which was apparently quite a lot of fantasies about our wedding night and honeymoon still.

The wedding planning was going well, with Edward eagerly planning our surprise honeymoon, which I knew nothing about. I was sure he would pick the perfect place for use to go. My only stipulations had been somewhere private and away from everyone – I didn't want people hearing my screams of ecstasy all day and night. We had talked about going to Isle Swift, but I decided that I would rather take our entire family there, since it was both mine and Alice's island, and I wanted my next time there to be with Alice in tow. Edward understood and his eyes had lit up as he thought of ideas for our honeymoon. I was sure that as long as he was there our honeymoon would be perfect.

One morning, after my latest dream of our wedding I realised that I had found the perfect date. "Edward?" I yawned as I stretched out beside him on our bed. His stunning green eyes, glowing with love and utter reverence locked with mine as his hand came up to caress my cheek.

"Yes love?"

"What do you think of having our wedding on your birthday, June 20?" I asked nervously as I leaned into his hand, revelling in the feeling of being loved by Edward. I knew none of my new Cullen family really celebrated birthdays anymore, but I felt that this was the best wedding present I could possibly give him, and the date itself was a reason for me to celebrate, since it was when my beloved fiancé was born.

Edward's face broke out in a glorious smile, stunning me with his beauty. "Oh Bella, I can't think of a more wonderful way to spend my birthday." He lent down and captured my lips with his own, electricity consuming my body as I pressed against him. I was more than happy with his display of appreciation for my idea.

A few hours later we finally showed up late to the Cullen house, where Alice was waiting impatiently with more wedding plans. "Oh Bella, come on, we don't have all day, though I'll let it go this one time since you finally picked a date! Oh I can see some of it already!" Edward brightened at that, and I could tell that he was now focused intently on Alice's mind. "No Edward!" she scolded him. "Go wrestle with Emmett and Jasper, you're not getting anything out of me! It's tradition that you don't get to see Bella's dress before the day."

"But what about the rest of the details?" he asked, desperate for even a peek of our big day.

"No," she remained firm, "If Bella has to wait for the wedding to see everything together, than so do you." And with that she fixed him with a stern look until he huffed in resignation.

"Fine," he kissed me gently, lovingly before heading out the door with his brothers.

Alice and I, with ideas thrown in intermittently from Rosalie and Esme, settled a few more of the details. Edward and I had decided on the Notre Dame Basilica in Montreal, Canada for the wedding, a stunning cathedral with beautiful stained glass and an opulent interior. To combat the summer sunlight we would marry at dusk, which I found to be one of the most beautiful times of the day as the world changed colour in preparation for the night.

There wasn't much of a guest list, I didn't really keep in touch with my mutant friends, who were all well past their 50's now, not having the benefit of non-ageing. I dropped in on some occasionally if I was in the area, but they had moved on with their lives as they grew older, and I had really not known what to do with myself after completing my avengement of Alice's supposed death. I was certainly not close enough to any of them to invite them to my wedding, so it would just be the Cullens, their cousins of sorts, the Denali, and some vampire friends of mine that I had met in the Amazon rainforest, Zafrina and Kachiri.

I had run across Zafrina and Kachiri with Alice once when we lived on Isle Swift and used to take forays into the amazon and the rest of South America, exploring. They had known I was different, but they asked no questions and we didn't volunteer any information. We had travelled around with them for a while as they told us about their beautiful rainforest. They were some of the only creatures that had ever fully accepted Alice and I, no questions asked, and treated us both as equals. We eventually told them the truth of our origins and they never betrayed out trust. They in turn told us of Zafrina's gift to place images in a person's mind, but we were reluctant to ask her to demonstrate, happy with our own images of life.

After I had avenged Alice by killing our brother Victor, along with Stryker and his minions, anyone that stood in my way really, I had felt lost. I wound up in the Amazon and luckily found my way back to Zafrina and Kachiri, telling them of Alice's death. They had mourned her loss with me, Zafrina even offering to use her gift, which she had never tried on me before, to conjure up images of Alice. However, it seemed that the adamantium that protected my bones also protected my minds, for her gift could not penetrate my mind. Nevertheless, I soon realised that seeing fake images of Alice would not bring her back.

Zafrina and Kachiri had helped me grieve for Alice, with their firm but gentle attitudes, and I was eternally grateful to them. They were hard to contact, as they liked to move around the forest, but every few weeks they would head back to one of the four solar powered houses they had deep in the jungle to keep an eye on the world. They had internet and phone via satellite, and when I finally got hold of them they were ecstatic to hear that Alice was still alive, and that I was getting married. They knew Carlisle Cullen, having met him many years ago, but had never met the rest of the family, and were eager to accept our wedding invitation.

Alice was looking forward to re-meeting them, after I had told her all I could about our past with them. Zafrina, after hearing of Alice's forgotten memories, was eager to help and had offered to show Alice, and the rest of the Cullens if they wished, her past encounters with Alice, which included a number of years that we had travelled intermittently with them. I was really looking forward to seeing them again too, even if I wouldn't be able to see Zafrina's memories of Alice and me.

As far as the Denali's went though, I wasn't so sure I wanted them at my wedding when Edward admitted that the three sisters were succubi. I had glared at him, but my resolve had melted rather quickly when Edward reassured me that he had never had any interest in any of them, and that he loved only me. Nevertheless, I would be keeping my eye on them, especially Tanya. Nobody was going to take my Edward from me now

After hashing out more of the wedding details I, deciding on decorations and such, I leaned back with a sigh, starting a little as I heard the crash of vampires in the backyard. It seemed my fiancé and his brothers were back from their private, top-secret-male-vampire-only-wrestling-spot, which was actually just a clearing they had ripped the trees out of a few miles away from the house - rather boring really. I skipped out of the house, eager to see my fiancé again. I stopped short as I realised that his shirt was hanging off him in threads, his delicious abs on display. I licked my lips and Jasper, feeling my building lust groaned as he walked past me and into the house to find Alice, but I only had eyes for Edward. He smiled as he spotted me, turning and heading for me, completely focussed on my face. I waited impatiently, anticipating a hot, sensuous kiss, but just before Edward reached me a flash of white came from the side, tackling Edward to the ground with a growl.

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I'm sorry this chapter is a bit short, but i've been quite busy lately.

Thank you guys for all the great comments, it's lovely to hear how much you like it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

I loosed my own snarl at Emmett as he wrestled Edward, before throwing myself on him. Nobody got in the way of my kisses. Diving into the fray, I quickly had Emmett off Edward and thrown halfway across the yard. Emmett skidded along the grass, making a deep furrow where he landed, before popping up and back into a fighting stance. "Well well, the Wolverine has come out to play," he smirked, an anticipatory smile on his face.

Edward gave me a quick kiss. "Go on love, he's been planning to bait you into a fight for days," he encouraged me, giving me a gentle push towards Emmett. The rest of the family quickly zipped out to the yard to watch.

Giving Edward's muscled chest one last wistful glance, I headed over to Emmett, crouching in my own fighting stance a few feet away. "Okay Emmett, you got me out here, show me what you can do," I dared him. With an impish grin, he charged straight at me. I sidestepped swiftly, kicking him as he went past, and giving him the extra momentum to go flying back into the grass. He leapt back onto his feet and now regarded me with more caution. In the background I could hear cheers for me.

Purposely keeping my claws retracted, since I didn't want to harm Emmett too badly, I ran for him, turning at the last second as he tried to retaliate, and leaping onto his back, my claws extending to rest against his throat. He froze as he felt the sharp metal against his cold skin. "I win," I chirped happily as I leapt off his back and headed over to Edward. I was pleased with myself for quickly getting the fight finished and coming out victorious without injuring Emmett. The only fights I had ever been in before had all been to the death. Edward picked me up, beaming proudly as I retracted my claws and he spun me around in celebration.

Emmett looked heartbroken at his loss, while the rest of the family laughed at him. "I can see why Alice called you Wolverine," Jasper commented. "You move with such an animalistic grace when you fight."

"Thanks," I grinned.

"No No No NO!" Emmett had finally pulled out of his dumbfounded silence. "I demand a rematch." His petulant expression looked ridiculous.

"You want me to beat you again?" I asked dryly.

Emmett's eyes narrowed in determination. "How about an arm wrestle then?" he asked, his confidence returning.

I shrugged, "Fine." I knew Emmett was the strongest vampire in the family, but he was not taking into account that my constantly renewing muscle cells gave me strength that would be his equal, and my adamantium bones gave me an advantage when it came to leverage in arm wrestles.

The family led me over to a large rock, Emmett quickly setting his arm on it and wriggling his fingers invitingly. I calmly stepped up, setting my elbow on the rock and taking Emmett's massive hand in mine. Emmett was now wearing a cocky smirk on his face. "Are you ready to lose?"

"Never," I answered, and we began. I could feel the force behind Emmett as he tried to move me, but my arm was not moving. However, I knew that, unlike vampires, my strength would fade after a while, so it was in my best interests to get this over with quickly. Smiling at Emmett's now strained expression, I flexed. Emmett's face showed panic as I slowly moved his arm down, inch by inch. It was by no means easy, for Emmett was incredibly strong, but bit by bit I pushed his arm down until it hit the rock with a crack. It sounded like victory and I couldn't help the smug smile that adorned my face as Emmett got up and kicked the rock, sending a large piece skittering across the river and into some trees on the other side. He looked like a child throwing a tantrum as the rest of the family laughed at him. "That's my sister!" Alice cheered.

"That's my fiancé," Edward smiled proudly. I grinned at them, feeling a deep sense of belonging. I finally had a whole family.

Eventually Emmett stopped pouting, and I could see a new respect for me in his eyes. Jasper challenged me later in the day, and since he was quite strategic in his moves it was a far more even match, with us eventually calling it a draw after an hour, when I knew my speed and strength would start to fade.

That night, after Edward and I successfully used up the rest of my energy in bed, I fell into a peaceful sleep, comfortably curled atop Edward. My life was perfect. I should have known that it couldn't last forever.

Only a few days later, Carlisle received a phone call. I knew something was wrong when Edward, who had been playing the piano for me, suddenly tensed.

We didn't have to wait long before Carlisle called us into the dining room, where we congregated around the table, curious about who had been on the phone with Carlisle. Once we all settled Carlisle began. "That was Billy Black, one of the Quileute elders," Everyone except me nodded in understanding.

"When we first moved back, we neglected to reinstate the treaty since we weren't sure if, after two generations, there was anyone who actually remembered the treaty we made with them. Now it seems that the elders have had legends passed on about us, and they wish to discuss the treaty with us again. I have agreed for us all tho meet the elders at the treaty line, in a clearing they had specified," he explained. "I am not sure how they will take to our additional members, although they are bound to have heard about them around town, or how they will react to having Bella in our midst, so please be cautious tonight," he finished.

"What treaty?" I asked in confusion. I knew I was missing something. Why on earth would a coven of vampires create a treaty with humans?

"Bella, some of the Quileute tribe carry a shapeshifter gene that allows them to turn into large wolves that are fast, strong and can destroy vampires," Edward explained. "When we were in this area seventy years ago, we came across three of the wolves, and instead of fighting them, Carlisle made a treaty. We would not go onto their lands, or bite a human, and they would not expose us." I raised an eyebrow at that. Only Carlisle would attempt to be peaceful when his coven would have had the upper hand in a fight, and agree to such restrictions. The wolves would not have been able to carry out their threat of exposure - nobody would ever believe them outside their own tribe.

Jasper and Alice had clearly had all of this explained to them before, since they had not been around the last time the Cullens had lived in Forks. "And how many of these wolves are in La Push now?" I asked. I needed to know as many details as possible when it came to the protection of my family.

"As far as we know, none. We believe the gene to have died out. The wolves have a very distinct and repelling scent to vampires, and we have not found any trace since we have been here," Carlisle explained. I filed all of this information away as I nodded.

And so, early in the evening we made our way out to the designated meeting spot. I rode on Edward's back, conserving my energy in case there really were wolves. I never trusted strangers.

I knew something was wrong when Edward, still running, suddenly tensed slightly and let out a soft hiss. We all tensed minutely and we slowed to a light jog. "There are wolves, five of them. It's a trap. They know we don't know about them and two of the elders, Billy and Harry, are waiting to draw us in so that the wolves can attack." He said in a soft voice that could only be heard by us as we continued to run, keeping up the façade that we were unaware that anything was wrong. "There will be two wolves at the front, one on each side, and one that will come in from behind us to trap us in," Edward relayed. Already I could feel my claws itching to be released. I would show these so called wolves not to mess with my family.

"They honestly think they can take the eight of us with only five of them?" Jasper asked, questioning their strategy.

Edward nodded. "They think Bella is human, so, unable to fight. They also don't think Carlisle, being a doctor, is much of a fighter, and they've discounted the girls. The only ones they think they have to worry about are me, Emmett and you, Jasper." Alice huffed indignantly and Rose looked pissed. "They've purposely kept us in the dark about the gene being active, since they were waiting for more of their young men to change in order to get rid of us once and for all.

"Billy thinks that killing us, and ridding the area of vampires, will be a great victory for his tribe. He doesn't believe that animal drinking vampires are any less monsters than the red eyed ones in his tribe's stories." I rolled my eyes, angry at his narrow-mindedness.

"What are they planning to do with Bella?" Carlisle asked.

Edward was grim. "They know we must have told her, since she's with us, but they are mixed up on what to do. Some of the wolves don't want to kill a human, but the others think Bella is just collateral damage," he growled as he read the thoughts of the wolves.

Rose snorted. "That is not the right attitude for so-called protectors."

Alice began to look panicked, which worried me greatly. "I can't see them," she whispered. "All of my visions of the future here are black."

I knew she hated it when she couldn't see something. Her gift was second nature to her, just as my regeneration and claws were to me. "Look for Edward's and my wedding," I urged her, "can you see us all there?" I had a feeling that, since the wolves were different to anything else Alice had encountered, she might not be able to see them.

She blanked for a second before her eyes refocused with a smile. "Yes, we're all going to be fine," she sighed in relief. "But I've just found another reason to dislike the dogs," she scowled as I chuckled.

I had never had any doubts that we would make it out of this little meeting unscathed. I would happily take on the entire pack singlehandedly in order to keep my sister, mate, and new family safe.

We quietly made some quick plans as we slowed to a stop. At the far end of the clearing sat two older man, one in a wheelchair. We walked to the centre of the clearing and Edward set me back on the ground, but the two men made no move to join us, as they had originally arranged.

We got into position, staying in the middle of the field so that we would be able to see the wolves come out of the trees. I was at the head, Alice directly behind me with Edward on her left and Jasper on her right. Behind Alice was Esme, flanked by Rosalie and Carlisle, with Emmett bringing up the rear.

Beside me, Edward chuckled dryly. "They think we're using you as a human shield," he explained under his breath. I rolled my eyes. He filled us in as they refined their plans through a shared pack mind. The two in front would attack first, aiming for Edward and Jasper, not particularly caring if I lived or died during the fight. Once they were down the others would be given the two at the sides would join the fight, with the wolf at the back catching anyone who tried to run away. I had no intention of allowing their plan to succeed.

The Quileute's didn't even have the courtesy of telling us their reasons behind the attack. All of a sudden Edward tensed, hearing their minds as they prepared themselves. "Now," he hissed.

Two wolves came bursting towards me. I stepped forward quickly, spinning to catch both wolves by the scruffs of their neck and holding both heavy bodies off the ground. I shook them vigorously as they growled and tried to snap at me, but they eventually subdued. The two watching elders looked stunned as I held a huge black wolf in one hand, and a large russet wolf in the other. It was now clear to everyone that I was not a typical human.

If I had had my way they'd already be dead, but it was Carlisle's wish that if we did not have to kill them, than we wouldn't. I begrudgingly respected that.

Before I could attempt to talk to them, a wolf broke from his hiding place, unable to cope with seeing his leader caught. The large dark grey wolf raced towards me with a rabid expression, intent on freeing his pack members. Edward moved to intercept him, but I was faster, swinging out the russet wolf so that when the grey wolf leaped, his teeth ripped into his own pack member. The russet wolf could not keep from a loud yelp as his flank was torn open.

Lashing out with a foot, I kicked the grey wolf into a tree. It connected hard and stayed down, panting. "Now, are you ready to listen?" I asked the two wolves I had well in hand. At the back of my mind I noticed that the russet wolf was slowly healing. It was fast, but not even half the speed at which I healed. I wondered absently if their mutation gene was similar to mine.

It took a moment of silence before I remembered that I would not be able to understand them. "They are," Edward said softly.

I spoke loudly so that the other wolves still hidden in the trees, and the two elder humans would be able to hear me. "How dare you plot to kill us without proof that we have done anything wrong! You are supposed to obey the treaty agreed to by your forefathers, as the Cullens have. Since that treaty was made none of the original members have bitten a human, and they have had two members, already vampires, join and follow their animal blood diet. You should not have assumed that any new members had been made, nor is it your right to determine whether someone should be allowed to be changed into a vampire or not."

The wolves in my hands growled a little at my scolding, but I shook them roughly until they silenced again. "Since you have broken the treaty by attacking me and my family, we are well within our rights to slaughter not only your pack, but your entire tribe," I pointed out. The wolves stiffened. "You are lucky that Carlisle is so peaceful he is willing to call this a large misunderstanding and reinstate the treaty. Will you agree to that?" I demanded. It was getting tiresome to hold up the dogs.

"Yes," the man in the wheelchair said, still eyeing me in amazement. I looked at Edward for confirmation of the alpha wolf's thoughts, and when he nodded I dropped the wolves to the ground. They hit with a satisfying thud before immediately backing away to stand in front of their elders.

All of a sudden, the grey wolf that had been resting by the trees, leapt at me again, hoping to take me off guard. I simply held out my forearm, allowing his jaws to close around it. His teeth easily tore through my flesh, but they were stopped by the adamantium. As he snarled and tried to bite harder I laughed. It was painful, but my pain threshold was so high now that it barely registered. His teeth, sharp and hard as they were, were no match for the indestructible metal, and some of them broke. I wasn't sure of wolf teeth grew back. I kind of hoped they wouldn't and he would be forced to gum his food for the rest of his life.

After his teeth broke, I got fed up with him knowing on my arm; it was repulsing. So I used my other hand to prise him off me, before throwing him to the other wolves. They seemed to be watching with a kind of morbid fascination. The clearing was silent as all eyes were drawn to my rapidly healing flesh.

I had one final warning before I allowed Carlisle to take over the peace treaty negotiations. I glared at the wolves and elders. "The Cullens may be peaceful, but I am not. I have lived for over a hundred years, and was in wars, faced firing squads and have killed more people than all of the Cullens put together. If killing all of you wolves will keep them safe, I have no problems doing it. The Cullens are good people, far better than all of you; betraying a treaty agreed to by your ancestors, purposely setting a trap for us." My tone was firm and steady. I was not going to put up with anymore nonsense from this pack of young dogs.

"Now perhaps the other two wolves could come out of hiding and we can set about renegotiating the treaty properly." They looked surprised that we knew about their reserves, but I wasn't about to let them in on my family's talents.

Two wolves slunk out of the trees to join the others, providing a temporary screen as the black and russet wolves phased back to their human forms. They were fairly young, physically around twenty five, and their eyes still held a naivety that was not yet lost by too many years in this world. Compared to me they were babies.

Once they had put on some shorts the wolves let them through, Carlisle stepped forward and the negotiations began. I kept a suspicious eye on all of the wolves, as did the rest of my family. I smiled a little as Carlisle's willingness to make peace. He was so good that it was humbling. I felt like I was in the presence of a saint. I relaxed a little as Edward put his arm around my waist. It seemed that the wolves were not thinking about any more attacks.

Carlisle was eager to just reinstate the treaty as it had been, but with Alice, Jasper and I included. He clearly didn't know much about bargaining. He was in the position of power now and could have demanded far more concessions from the tribe. However, that just wasn't the kind of man Carlisle was.

The big problem that soon came up was when the alpha wolf, Sam, demanded to know what I was, since I clearly was neither a vampire, nor fully human. "Frankly, you're not in a position to make demands," I said disdainfully. "I have no reason to trust you."

"If we don't know what you are, we don't know if you're dangerous to our tribe or not," he argued. His attempt at bravado was rather pathetic.

"Oh, I can be dangerous all right," I smiled wickedly. "But I have no intentions of harming anyone that doesn't try to hurt me first. If you thought genetic mutations that allowed for fast healing was unique to your tribe, you are remarkably naïve to the real world. All you need to know is that I eat normal human food, am far older, wiser and stronger than you, and that I am going to marry Edward and officially join the Cullen family soon," I said. That was all I was willing to say.

Unfortunately, the wolves weren't willing to give up yet. The second on command, Jacob, spoke up. "Then you are more like us, than them. You should forget about the bloodsuckers and join us." His attempt at being seductive was sadly lacking. Not at all like Edward's smile, which could literally make me melt into his arms. Edward's hand tightened possessively on my waist. "I don't think so pup," I said drily. "The Cullens had more integrity, honour, kindness, and generosity than any family, in the world, and I love Edward." The wolves scrunched their noses up at that, but remained silent.

After a longwinded conversation with the elders, Carlisle finally had the treat reinstated as it had been before, but with the extra provisional that the wolves were never to come near us again, nor would there be any future meetings between us. Any conversations from now on would take place by phone, since we no longer trusted that the tribe would uphold their end of the bargain.

I walked away from that meeting a little peeved that a threat to the Cullen's still lived, but Edward and Jasper assured me that they were mostly all grateful that I hadn't killed them, although apparently the grey wolf was quite volatile and angry still. I was pleased though that I hadn't revealed too much about myself, they didn't know about my claws, and that the Cullen's gifts were not known to the wolves either.

All in all, though I was still wary of a possible future retaliation by the wolves, I was not worried that they would be stupid enough to attempt on any time soon, so I was soon able to push it to the back of my mind and get on with the wedding plans - a far more pleasant prospect.

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Sorry it took longer than usual, i got a bit sidetracked...

Let me know what you thought.


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry that its been a while. I came down with a bad flu, and then when I finally got better I had a lot of things to catch up on, and (most annoyingly) a muse to find again. 

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**Chapter 10**

The weeks before the wedding passed quickly and I had never been happier. The wolves thankfully remained on their side of the treaty line and left us well alone for the most part. We still kept an eye out for them when we were anywhere near the treaty line though, just in case they hoped to pick us off in smaller groups. I wouldn't put it past them.

Alice was happily planning the final touches for the wedding, pleased with her visions which were now clearing up in regards to me. Edward was constantly trying to sneak peeks at the wedding but she was very quick to block him, much to his annoyance.

School was winding down, only a few exams left and then we would be out for the summer. Unlike last summer I was infinitely more excited about this one. In only a few weeks I would be marrying Edward and we would spend most of summer on our honeymoon. It was a wonderful thought. My dreams of our honeymoon changed nightly, since Edward could not be induced to drop any hints about our surprise destination. And believe me, I used all of my creativity and feminine charms in an attempt to wheedle it out of him, much to the pleasure of both of us. However, he still refused to budge, wanting it to be a surprise. Honestly, I wasn't really that worried, certain that out honeymoon would be perfect wherever we went, and I had faith that Edward would choose well, but I enjoyed trying to get it out of him anyway.

Edward and I, despite having both been alone for a long time, adapted extremely well to living together. Neither of us had had to really share anything, not material things, or our thoughts, with others if we didn't want to. That had changed. We shared everything with each other, and instead of feeling smothered and wanting space, it only brought us closer. In a lot of ways we were making up for lost time, eager to spend every possible moment together, sharing our thoughts and dreams.

We also shared our enjoyment for fast vehicles, often taking out my Dodge Viper, or Edward's Vanquish for a spin, or riding out on one of my bikes. Edward even ordered himself a blue MTT Streeetfighter, another seriously fast bike, and I couldn't wait for it to arrive to test out.

Edward also loved to spoil me, and to be honest, it was nice to have someone else to take care of me for once. I was so used to being self-sufficient. Edward doted on me, liking the chance to give me every little luxury he could think of. We often drive to Seattle, or Olympia for lavish dinners and nights at the theatre, opera, orchestra or some other event. There was nothing like eating a lavish dessert at one of the best restaurants in Seattle while looking deeply into Edward's adoring eyes. I felt so special.

Only the other day, Edward had run me a luxurious bubble bath, gently washing every inch of my body before drying it just as carefully. He had then laid me on the bed and worshipped every inch of my body with his soft lips, gently kissing me everywhere as I shivered with ecstasy. Every now and then he had taken tiny reverent sips of my blood as he continued a slow and thorough path down my body, and I had never felt more loved.

Life could not get any better. I was even enjoying my first time through school, the experience made all the more interesting due to Edward's continual presence in all of my classes. "I'll admit that this is the first time I have ever enjoyed high school," Edward murmured as we waited in line for lunch. I quirked an eyebrow on him and he elaborated. "With you it's like seeing everything for the first time. Everything is far more exciting." I grinned at him.

He took my hand and squeezed it gently. "I never understood how my siblings all coped so much better than me at going to school over and over again. I thought maybe I liked it less because I could read everyone's thoughts, but now I see why it doesn't bother them so much. When you have your mate beside you every day, nothing can detract from that."

I smiled at his words, staring fondly at him. "I don't think I would have really enjoyed school at all if I didn't have you beside me," I admitted, "But this has been such a wonderful experience with you by my side." He leaned down for a gentle kiss, words no longer necessary.

The week before the wedding Zafrina and Kachiri arrived. The tall Amazonian pair greeted us with hugs and smiles, beaming when they were reunited with Alice. "We were so happy when Bella informed us that you were still alive little one," Zafrina commented as she hugged Alice tight.

Alice may not have remembered them, but she was happy to re-meet them. Carlisle was also happy to catch up with them, while the rest of the family was curious.

We were about to sit down in the living room and catch up when Kachiri and Zafrina exchanged smirks. I was immediately wary. "Bella, we got you a present," Kachiri smiled. "I left it outside, I'll just go and get it."

"You shouldn't have," I said dryly, knowing that behind their fierce facades lay a pair of mischief makers. Edward and Alice leaned forward in anticipation, having already used their talents to find out what my surprise was. I turned to Edward and looked up at him with a pleading expression, knowing he had a hard time refusing me when he was looking deeply into my eyes. "Edward, will you tell me what it is, please?" I tacked on a please, since he could never resist it. He looked dazed as he opened his mouth to answer, but Alice jumped in. "No Edward! Don't spoil it."

He shook his head and sighed as I pouted that my plan hadn't worked. Before I could attempt anything more though, Kachiri zipped back into the room. "Here it is Bella!" A large wriggling body was thrown towards me.

I let out an undignified yelp, eyes wide as I immediately jumped back and climbed the tallest thing in the room - Emmett. I scrambled up quickly, perching on his shoulders as all the vampires burst into laughter. I looked down at my 'present', which sat unmoving on the floor. It was a huge fake rubber snake.

Edward was the first to stop laughing and he helped me off Emmett's shaking shoulders, cuddling me into him. "Don't worry love, I'll always save you from snakes," he murmured in my ear as he rubbed soothing circles on my back. I groaned as I blushed with embarrassment.

Eventually everyone stopped laughing and settled, while Zafrina began showing them all the images of the times Alice and I had spent with them and Kachriri narrated it. Because of my mind block, I didn't get to see them, but I could remember what they were seeing as Kachiri talked. Everyone, especially Alice, was delighted to see some of her forgotten history, and no one could show it to her better than Zafrina. In their minds it seemed as though they had really been there, every vibrant colour, all the sights, scents, smells and sounds were experienced in Zafrina's mind illusion.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of it was a Bella Bloopers reel, as Zafrina and Kachiri lingered on all the embarrassing moments of mine that they had witnessed. I kept my head buried in Edward's chest as he snickered at the things they were showing him.

They soon arrived at one of my most embarrassing moments, and the one related to the snake trick they had just played on me.

"Bella had never seen a snake before, and when she saw the large anacondas she decided to catch one for Alice," Kachiri explained with an amused smile, "since Alice had never tried snake blood. And naturally, for Alice, only the biggest one Bella could find would do." I buried my head a little deeper into Edward's chest and groaned.

"She found a 25 foot anaconda and tried to pick up the enormous snake, starting at its tail. Unfortunately, as she reeled the thing into her arms and gathered it up, she didn't notice that it was slowly winding its way around her body. She was getting near to the head of the snake when it tightened around her, and she finally realised that she was wrapped up like an Egyptian Mummy." I shuddered as I remembered the tightening coils of snake, it made me claustrophobic just thinking about it. Of course, at the time, Kachiri, Alice and Zafrina had stood by laughing at my predicament. It had been an odd feeling, being covered in snake, but knowing that my adamantium covered bones meant that it could never kill me.

"She tried to uncoil it, but each time she uncoiled one section, the other end of the snake would wrap another coil around her." Everyone was laughing at this point. Even Edward's chest was vibrating as I buried my head in it, although he valiantly tried to muffle his snickers.

"Suddenly, the snake reared its head up and looked right into her face, hissing at her. She screamed and sliced that snake right down the middle with her claws before running away." Emmett would have been in tears if that were possible, he was laughing so hard. It was so mortifying to know that they had all seen it played out for them exactly as Zafrina had so many years ago. Not much scared me, but staring eye to eye with a snake that had a head as large as mine had been terrifying.

"It took Alice an hour to calm her down and bring her back, and then Bella insisted that Alice try the dead snake's blood, since she had gone to all the effort of killing it for her after all." I pouted a little at the memory. Alice had taken one mouthful and spit it back out. Apparently reptile blood tasted horrible, and the only thing worse than reptile blood for a vampire was cold reptile blood. All that work and she hadn't even liked the taste.

Zafrina and Kachiri continued to delight everyone with their stories and accompanying images as we got reacquainted. Everything was set and we were all ready to head to Canada, where I would finally marry Edward. There was just going to be one stop along the way. We were going to meet up with the Denali coven.

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I hope you enjoyed it. The next chapters are going to have some surprises...


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

With my most embarrassing secret out, Emmett liked to get in subtle digs every now and then. "Hey Bella, which hand would you use to pick up a snake with?" he asked with a playful grin. I rolled my eyes and huffed at him. "Someone else's!" he answered his own question, laughing at the sour look on my face. The rest of the family usually tried to hide their smirks of amusement, and turn their laughter into coughs, but it was in vain. They all thought it was hilarious. However, no matter how many jokes Emmett had in his repertoire, I found that they were relatively easy to ignore while I was packing for my honeymoon – I was only packing basics, since the honeymoon was a surprise, but I trusted Alice to pack everything else I would need. Sometimes I would just go off into a daze, thinking about Edward and I, alone… Edward found me like that many times as our wedding date grew closer, wrapping his arms around me as he whispered sweet nothings in my ear. "Not long now Love, and we'll be married and heading towards our very private honeymoon," he promised as I polished my Hayabusa, wanting to leave it in perfect condition before we headed off. I leant back into him. "Mmm, that sounds wonderful Edward." He murmured his agreement as he placed soft kisses down the side of my neck and I angled it to give him better access. I reveled in his love.

The day before we left, Edward sat me beside him at the piano and serenaded me with my favourites, including my own special lullaby. I revelled in it, my eyes closed as my head rested on his shoulder and I soaked in his presence and the wonderful melody.

Edward had been playing for a few hours when Alice came bounding into the house. "There's going to be a storm over town tonight!"

"Awesome!" Emmett yelled, grinning like he'd just one a wrestling match. Everyone followed them in.

I looked around in confusion at the excited looks on everyone's faces, even Kachiri and Zafrina had clearly been filled in on the hidden implications of a storm. Turning back to Edward I cocked a brow. "Care to fill me in?"

"It means we can play baseball," he explained. The whole house felt energised as everyone looked forward to the game. I nodded slowly, pretending to understand. I had watched a few games on TV out of sheer boredom one day, so I knew the basics, but I had never played.

"Great," I tried to push the right amount of enthusiasm into my voice.

"Have you ever played?" he asked.

"Um, no?" I admitted.

"Well don't worry, I'm sure you'll pick it up quickly and love it," he assured me. I wasn't so sure. It had looked a little boring on TV, but then again, I supposed it was probably very different when playing with vampires.

"Okay then." They whole household smiled in anticipation.

It didn't take long before everyone was ready, eager to get outside and play, and we were soon off. Edward carried me far into the Olympic mountains until we emerged in an enormous field. I had once again opted to be carried rather than run, wanting to conserve as much of my energy as possible for the game. It had the added benefit of allowing me to be very close to Edward as I plastered myself to his back and nuzzled his neck.

Too soon for my liking, we arrived at an enormous field, and Emmett set out with Alice to mark the bases.

While they were setting up and deciding on teams, Edward took me aside and proceeded to teach me the basic techniques of swinging the bat and pitching the ball. Carlisle and Esme did the same for Kachiri and Zafrina, who were also new to baseball. Apparently there was a lot more technique involved in baseball than I had realised. Unfortunately, having Edward stand behind me, chest pressed against my back, arms around me adjusting my grip on the back, and husky voice whispering directions in my ear, played havoc with my concentration. I barely registered any of his helpful tips, too intoxicated by his presence to do anything but enjoy having him surround me. His velvet voice was so very seductive, even when he wasn't trying.

All too soon I found myself up to bat, with no really idea of what I was doing. As it turned out, more than supernatural qualities were required to play baseball with vampires. While I might have looked really good up against a human, against vampires that had been playing for decades, I was horrendous. The first time the ball was pitched towards me, I swung and missed, not prepared for the speed of the ball and how fast I would need to swing the bat. Only Esme and Carlisle managed to hold in their snickers of amusement.

The second time, I was so determined to hit the ball that I swung too early, and so hard that I spun myself around in a circle, my momentum causing me to trip over my feet and fall to the ground rather spectacularly.

Nobody even bothered to muffle their snickers.

The third time I just managed to tip the ball and barely made it to first base, thankful that my first experience at batting was over, but dreading my next go. Edward cheered loudly for me, which mollified me quite a lot. I knew there was a reason why I loved him. I wasn't any better as the game continued. My only saving grace was that Zafrina was almost as bad as I was, although Kachiri took to it like a natural.

Because Zafrina and I handicapped out respective teams, the teams were rather even throughout the game, but thanks to Carlisle, who was one of the best baseball players in the family, my team just managed to win, much to my relief. I would have felt terrible if they had lost because of me.

As soon as the game was over Edward, who had also been on my team along with Rosalie, Carlisle and Kachiri, consoled me. "You were quite good for a beginner love," he soothed me, "with a few more years of practise I'm sure you'll be just as good as the rest of us." Somehow, his words just weren't as reassuring as he thought they would be.

"A few years?" I huffed. "I am a supernatural being with enhanced athletic ability. I should have been able to hit a ball in my sleep, even against vampires." I pouted a little, put out by my own terrible performance. "If you had been a better teacher and not distracted me with your body, maybe I would have actually picked something up before the game started," I accused him.

Far from being offended by my accusation, he threw back his head and laughed. "Oh Love, I hardly think you can blame me for your lack of attention during our tutorial," he protested.

"Yes I can," I maintained stubbornly, "if I didn't love you so much, then I would not have been so distracted."

His smile only grew wider at my speech, and I could feel my own smile trying to grow in response to his. He was irresistible when he smiled at me, all his love for me shining in his eyes. It dazzled me. "Then I can't say that I'm sorry, but I love you too," his ardent look prevented me from doing anything but winding my arms around his neck and pulling him down for a kiss. I couldn't help it; I just loved him so much.

Much to Edward's and my joy, the wedding grew steadily nearer and our whole family headed up to Montreal with Kachiri and Zafrina in tow. Instead of renting rooms in a hotel and playing human, we rented a large holiday house for the week, situated just outside the town, and conveniently shrouded in forest. It had six bedrooms and was reputed to 'sleep fourteen', which wasn't really a problem when I was the only one who needed to sleep.

We were all fluent in French – not a terribly hard language to learn with decades of being dragged to Paris by Alice, although the majority of people we encountered spoke English as well. Alice had managed to pick a week of summer that was slightly overcast, allowing us the opportunity to go and explore the city.

Together Edward and I explored some of Montreal over the few days leading up to the wedding, eager to see more of the city. One night Edward even took me to the Casino De Montreal, where I enjoyed a lavish dinner fit for a queen at their restaurant, before we headed down to the casinos and played some blackjack. I won a ton of money that night, which I decided to spend on more honeymoon lingerie the next day, when I dragged Edward into a boutique that specialised in very pretty lingerie. I already had packed many sets, but Edward had a penchant for ripping them off me, so there was always room for more, especially if the honeymoon went as well as I hoped.

Edward's eyes widened spectacularly when he say the arrays of silk, satin and lace, eyes darkening with hunger as he looked between them and me. I smiled, "What do you think I should get," my voice was husky as my mind imagined us putting these things to good use on our honeymoon. Edward was more than happy to help me make my selections.

After that we went to Jardin Nelson, a restaurant in Place Jacques-Cartier, which was a beautiful place to explore. Lunch was delicious, as I had come to expect since meeting Edward. Despite not eating, he had a knack for finding the best restaurants for me to eat at.

Later on, we met back up with the rest of the family and did some shopping at Bonsecours Market before heading to the Notre-Dame Basillica to tour the place in which we would be married. It was a beautiful building, both inside and out. And walking though it with Edward, I squeezed his hand, to convey my feelings of awe and delight that in little over a day we would be married in this stunning building. With its gothic structure, stained glass and opulent decoration, it was one of the most amazing man-made sights I had ever seen. "What do you think?" Edward asked with a smile.

"This is amazing," I breathed, "so much better than the pictures." I knew my eyes were wide as I tried to take in every aspect of the magnificent cathedral. I couldn't wait to walk down this very aisle tomorrow in my wedding dress to marry Edward. I knew the reality was going to be so much better than any of my dreams.

Not long after we got back to the house that evening, we heard the incoming footsteps of the Cullen's Alaskan friends – the Denalis. I wasn't terribly bothered by their presence. I knew that in the past Tanya had expressed an interest in Edward, but I would hardly blame her for that - he was incredibly handsome after all, but I was largely unperturbed since Edward had never expressed an interest in her. Now that we were mated, there was no chance of Edward leaving me for anyone – our mating bond was far too strong for that. However, I still wouldn't hesitate to put in their place anyone who thought they could take Edward from me, and I was curious about the family. "So, when you say they are succubi, do you mean that they actually have a seductive talent, or merely that they use their supernatural beauty to lure in men?" I asked as the whole family and Zafrina and Kachiri lounged around the room as we waited.

"No, they don't have a special gift for seduction," Carlisle explained, "although Kate can produce an electric shock on her hands. Have you met someone who did have a gift for seduction?" he asked.

I nodded, "Yes, I have met someone who had a gift of seduction, but it required her to touch them in order for her influence to work." I was glad none of them had an actual talent for seduction, though I wasn't surprised, they would hardly need it with typical vampire beauty working in their favour.

I described a few of the other mutant talents I had encountered as we waited for the Denalis. I was quite comfortably lying on the sofa, head in Edward's lap as he stroked my hair.

Soon enough Edward cocked his head. "Here they come, and Irina has a friend with her," he warned us as I sat up and we all looked towards the door in anticipation. Carlisle and Esme opened the door. "Eleazer, Carmen how wonderful to see you again," Carlisle greeted to first pair of vampires through the door. Tanya, Kate and Irina were greeted next, all were quite beautiful vampires, and I could see how they made human men fall for them. "Thank you, we're all very happy to be invited to Edward's wedding, and meet his mate," Irina said. "This is my friend Laurent, who has recently joined us and is converting to our diet."

My head shot up at the name, diverting my attention from scrutinising the rest of the family to look at the new vampire who had just entered the house. I growled as I took in the dark dreadlocked vampire with orange-red eyes. "Laurent!" I shot over to him, slamming him into the wall beside the door and pointing all six of my deadly claws at him.

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I know it's been a while. SORRY! I hope this will tide you over, and i promise i am working on moree!


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